Ninjago: The Nya Perspective
by LiaLia15
Summary: Kai and Nya were doing just fine on their own, thanks. But now there's skeleton armies and lava and cute boys and - well, things are upside down. Nya's not sure what's going on, but she wouldn't trade it for the world. Or - Ninjago, but in the perspective of our favorite badass girl.
1. I'm Trying, I Swear

**A/N: yo! i've been into this show for a while now (like . . . six years . . .) so i thought i'd try my hand at fanfic for it. ninjago, everyone!**

**but from primarily nya's perspective! most of it is wildly AU, especially the first few chapters. anyhow. enjoy! **

**oOo**

Nya knows she's being dumb. She knows she's only ten and there are lots of other people that have it way worse than her, so she should stop being a big _dumb_ _baby _about this. But as she watches her brother drag their two lonesome suitcases outside, Nya _really _wishes she was someone else.

She doesn't remember much of her early childhood. Her first memory is barely a flicker. An image of a woman's face, with loving eyes and a warm smile — the kind of smile that makes you feel bubbly inside. It's a good memory, Nya thinks. After all, she's pretty sure the woman was her mother.

Everything after that is weird, though. She can't picture her parents in her head, she has to rely on the handful of photographs that Kai's hung on to over the years. There's a hazy memory of her father reading a story about dragons. Nya remembers a lot of loneliness and nightmares, rough hands and less-warm smiles. She doesn't remember home, either. The only home she knows now is Uncle Liam's one-level house on the outskirts of Ignacia, where the only entertainment is cow-tipping and alcohol.

Of course, Nya and her brother were too young to drink. Liam wasn't, though, and that had turned out to be a problem.

Nya doesn't remember her parents because they died when she was three years old — or so she'd been told. It makes sense, she supposes, since they've never come back and it's been a little over seven years. Parents didn't just disappear like that. Maybe. Probably.

Well, at any rate, Kai tells her that their parents are gone, and she believes him.

The two of them have been living with Liam since Nya was a toddler. She can't imagine life outside here, though she assumes it's probably way better. Almost _anywhere _would be better than here. The only thing she has to occupy herself is the bookshelf in the living room, stocked full of interesting books that she wasn't supposed to touch.

Books about building things and cooking. Some had stories in them, with magical creatures and exciting adventures. Liam taught her how to read, but, "Don't mess with my stuff, kid." Stupid Liam with his stupid drinking problem and his stupid temper. He'd never been the gentlest man, and certainly not the most friendly. She wondered, often, if he was really related to them at all.

Once, when Nya was eight, Liam had come home acting strangely, and Kai told Nya to hide in their room (a glorified shoebox of a space, crammed off the side of the hallway). She did, of course, but she could still hear everything going on outside the door. And later that night, when she'd caught sight of the bruise around Kai's left eye, Nya knew things were taking a turn for the worse. Kai wouldn't let her help, though.

"It's fine," he always said. "Can't even feel it!"

Liam came home drunk more and more as the years went by, and he was never in high spirits. He shoved Kai around and yelled at him and threw books across the room when Kai yelled back. Nya always sat with her back pressed to the bedroom door, listening with wide eyes, heart pounding against her ribs. Kai was always doing stupid stuff like standing up to Angry Liam. Nya respected him for it. But she was also terrified for him.

There was nothing she could do, Kai said. If she tried to help, she'd be in trouble, too. So Nya stayed put, curled up in the patch of moonlight on the floor, hands slapped over her ears.

Until—

Well. Until things got inexplicably _worse_, just about two days ago.

Liam came home much later than usual, banging open the front door with a heavy shove. The sound woke the siblings, who'd been sleeping in their shared room, but they didn't think much of it. Liam's rampages were old news. He'd probably go straight to bed anyway.

They were wrong.

Ten blissful seconds of silence were shattered by an abrupt pounding on the bedroom door. Nya pulled the blanket up over her head. Kai shifted on her other side.

"Kai! Open the _damn door_, you little _brat_! I wanna know why you left this _mess _in the kitchen!"

When Liam was drunk, he never slurred words or stumbled over his own feet. He just got _mad. _Mad about the tiniest things. Things like the two plates still sitting in the sink from when Kai and Nya ate dinner earlier. They probably should've known better than to leave them there, now that Nya thought about it.

"Hey. _Hey! _Come clean this up! _Kai_!" There was a solid _thud _on the door that resembled a powerful kick, so Kai heaved a sigh and rolled out of bed, hair scruffy, eyes tired.

Nya poked her head out of the covers.

"Where are you going?" she whispered frantically.

Kai turned to her. "I'm just gonna go—take care of that. I'll be really fast. Stay here, okay?"

Nya frowned, but nodded.

Kai was gone for one minute. Two. Four. And the voice outside the bedroom grew louder. Liam screamed a lot of words that Nya probably wasn't supposed to know, and Kai, for once, said nothing back. Liam seemed to be mad about that.

"You and your sister are dumb as a doornail, aren't you?" Liam hollered.

_Doornail_? That was a new one. But Nya understood "dumb" and she narrowed her eyes because _rude. _

"C'mon, boy. You mute, too? Usually can't getcha to shut up. Well _come on_, answer me!"

No reply from Kai. Nya carefully pushed the blanket back, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her toes met cold hardwood.

"I said _answer me_!" Then something shattered.

Nya's heart nearly flew out of her throat as she rushed to the door and yanked it open. She dashed to the kitchen and stopped short. Kai was standing by the sink, hands up over his face like he was—

Like Liam had—

Nya's eyes went to the floor. White shards of Chinaware lay scattered near Kai's feet. Pieces of a _plate. _

Nya's blood boiled.

Liam turned to her. "Get in there," he demanded, finger pointing at the bedroom. "Right the hell _now_."

She wanted to. Nya would've loved to turn and run the other way, but her brother was wiping a trail of blood from his temple, and Liam just looked _so punchable—_

"What'd I say, kid? Room. _Now._"

"No." Barely a breath of a word.

"What'd you just say to me?"

"I said _no_," Nya said, louder. Eyebrows low and angry, she stepped in front of Kai, forcing herself to look Liam in the eye. She felt one of Kai's hands touch her shoulder.

"Nya," he hissed. "What are you—"

Liam's face was turning an alarming shade of red. He leveled a finger at her.

"Your brother is a big boy, he can answer for himself," he said. "Back to your room."

"You're _hurting _him," Nya said.

"It's called _discipline_, kid, and I can discipline you, too, so step aside."

Kai's elbow poked at her back, silently urging her to make a break for it, but she couldn't move. It's not that Kai couldn't defend himself — he totally could. But this _jerk _did _not _get to throw _plates _at her brother. This had gone on for far too long, and if Kai wasn't going to stop it . . .

Nya felt confident for about two more seconds. Then all at once, Liam grabbed her left arm and pulled her out of the way, letting go as she yelped and fell sideways. Her head hit the edge of the counter, and she lay there stunned, blinking back stars.

He just—did he actually just—?

Maybe a few years ago Nya would've cried about it. But she was too old for that, now. Now it was time to be mature and do the adult thing. So she bit down on her lip and tried to ignore the new ache spreading across her skull.

But as Nya was sitting up, one hand rubbing her head frustratedly, she saw Kai lunge at their uncle and the two of them toppled over. Nya's mouth fell open.

"Get off!" Liam bellowed, rolling on his back. Kai was wildly scrambling to maintain his grip, being tossed back and forth; their arms locked around each other as they tumbled across the kitchen floor with malicious vigor. Nya's brain finally caught up to the events taking place, and she was behind Kai in an instant, tugging at his pajama shirt.

"Kai! Stop. Guys, stop!"

One way or another, someone was going to get seriously injured. Nya pulled and screamed until finally, the two brawlers split apart, staggering in different directions. Kai was swiping at an ugly cut under his eye, and Liam had a few nasty-looking scratches across one cheek. They faced each other angrily, looking almost ready to go at it again. In a moment of blinding impulse, Nya reached down and snatched a big piece of the broken plate. She brandished it at Liam threateningly.

"Back off," she said.

Kai watched her with wide eyes. The Chinaware wasn't enough to do any serious harm, but it was jagged and would definitely hurt a lot, she knew that. Slowly, Nya edged her way between Kai and Liam, still holding the broken shard out in front of her chest. Her expression held no room for contradiction.

And at last, Liam turned swiftly and stomped into his own room down hall, making sure to slam the door extra loudly behind him.

As soon as he was out of earshot, the siblings visibly relaxed, and Nya let the plate shard drop to the floor again. Her head was throbbing, now that she wasn't being distracted by appalling amounts of adrenaline.

Kai raked a hand through his hair. "Nya—I can't believe—I mean—that was _dangerous_."

"I don't care." She realized that was true. "He's a bully. Bullies don't get to mess with my brother."

Even though her heart was still pounding at an insane rate, Nya was feeling great. She liked standing up for Kai—and herself. It felt amazing. Like . . . like letting go of a massive weight for the first time. Sure, there were still broken plate pieces all over the floor, and she'd probably have to sweep that up now, but hey. That air of accomplishment was worth it.

But the next day, Nya woke up to Kai throwing clothes into an open suitcase.

"What are you doing?" she asked, blinking sleep from her eyes. It certainly hadn't been the most restful night she'd experienced.

Kai didn't look up. "Packing."

"Why?"

"We're leaving."

Nya tried and failed to process this. Leaving? As in, leaving the _house_? For good? They couldn't do that. Where else would they live? Would they have to sleep on park benches and steal hotdogs from people, like in those movies Liam watched sometimes?

"Are we coming back?"

Kai chucked a red tennis shoe into the growing pile. "Heck no."

Frowning, Nya kicked off the sheets and slid to the floor, kneeling next to her brother. He zipped up his suitcase and dragged another one out of the closet, letting it fall over sideways. They must've belonged to Liam, since Nya was pretty sure she'd never owned a suitcase in her life. What was the point, anyhow?

At length, she said, "Where are we going?"

Like it was obvious, Kai met her eyes and said, "Home."

So that's why, another day later, Nya is standing in the driveway with her arms wrapped around herself, squinting against the chilly wind that whips her long hair around. Kai is dragging a suitcase in each hand, all the way to Liam's truck, where he hoists them up and tosses them in the trunk. Liam comes up behind Nya, eyebrows scrunched in the middle.

"You two won't last a week," he says. Nya wants to turn around and kick him where the sun _absolutely_ does not shine.

Ten minutes later, she's sitting in the backseat of the truck, knees pulled up to her chest, while Kai gawks out the window at the passing countryside. He seems so sure that they're going to be fine. Nya is . . . not excited at all. Yes, living with Liam was miserable, but it's better than living nowhere at all. At least Liam's house has a roof and books and working AC.

She trusts Kai, though. If he says they're going to be fine, it must be true. Kai's almost thirteen, he's responsible. She's responsible, too. It won't be perfect, but maybe she'll get used to it. No angry men banging on the door late at night. No yelling.

When Liam pulls up to their new/old home, Nya presses her face against the window. It's . . . admittedly small, not really much to look at. Just a simple, boxy home, with some thatched awning jutting out on one side. That must be the blacksmith shop Kai always talks about. He says the two of them are going to run it and make money to support themselves.

Nya isn't so sure about that.

The siblings hop out of the truck and grab their belongings. Liam tosses Kai a slightly rusty key and says, "Don't come crying to me when this doesn't work out."

Kai makes a face. "We won't, don't worry."

The truck drives away.

As Kai fiddles with the lock and key, Nya glances around at the surroundings. Just like the house, it's not much to look at. There's lots of winding roads and knobby hills, with patches of farmland scattered throughout. Land slants drastically downwards on one side, dropping into a low ravine of some sort. The sparse trees are a fresh spring green. It's quiet.

Do they have any neighbors? Probably not. She can't see any other houses from here. There's some white dots off in the distance—maybe sheep? Looks like the closest residence is a while away. Nya suddenly feels very small.

"Got it!" Kai yells, and he swings the door open. It creaks with years of weathering, but Nya forgets her worries for a moment because this is the house she lived in as a little kid. It's where her parents worked and ate and slept and raised her and Kai. A distinct sort of sadness lingers in the air drifting out from inside, like the memories were still there, waiting to be cherished again.

The rest just smells like dust and stale bread.

The siblings stand by the doorway, not quite inside.

"Who's first?" asks Kai. His voice is unnaturally quiet.

Nya sure as heck isn't about to walk in there alone, not when it's all dark and spooky. Normally Kai would offer to do the scary thing, but today he looks—nervous. So Nya grabs his hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

"We go together," she decides.

As one, they enter. Without any proper lights, the room is hard to see, and cobwebs hang from every corner and crevice. It's probably ten degrees colder than outside. Dusty furniture cast long shadows across the floor, and a chill creeps up Nya's arms.

"Feels like home," Kai offers, glancing around.

"Feels cold."

They spend the rest of the day fixing up the house, lighting lamps and sweeping the floors. When Kai's done with the broom, he hands it to Nya.

"Knock down some of those webs," he says. Nya makes a disgusted face, accepting the proffered broom with one hand. She wants to object, but Kai is already wandering around the house to open up the windows, so she just sighs and glares up at the spiders surely hiding in the corners.

Later that night, Nya finds herself standing in the doorway of a tiny room in the hallway. There's a little bed inside, probably not big enough to fit her anymore. Red curtains hang from the window, looking thick with dust and weathered at the bottom. Kai is off somewhere unpacking, so she steps inside the room and feels an odd sensation sweep over her.

It's her old bedroom, isn't it? She feels it. The bed could've fit a five-year-old Kai, but the far wall is painted to showcase a scattering of butterflies, spreading out from the center in a spiral. Who painted this? Her mom? Nya runs a finger over the painting, wondering if her mother had touched it too at some point. The chill comes back, but sadder this time. Less cold and more . . . lonely.

There are no photos on the little bedside table. No mirror or clothes or toys. Nothing from the life Nya could've had - the one she _wishes_ she'd had. Does she have to sleep here tonight? Man. Nya can't remember the last time she'd slept somewhere away from Kai. Sure, he'd just be down the hall probably, but still. Shoulders slumped, Nya accepts this information glumly.

She likes the house, don't get her wrong. It's nice. It belonged to her parents, and that's . . . something to hold onto. But the idea of living here with just Kai? No adults? The two of them would be shouldering every responsibility, miles away from any proper civilization. It's like the world keeps growing bigger and Nya is only getting smaller and smaller.

"Boo," says Kai from behind her.

The sudden voice sends Nya jumping a good six inches in the air, and she whirls on Kai.

"Don't," she says. "Geez." There isn't much heat in her voice, though. Just an unwelcome little tremble that betrays the emotion she's trying so hard to hide right now.

"Hey, you okay?" asks Kai. He steps up closer, eyes concerned. Nya feels a lot warmer, just by standing next to him. Kai's like a mini furnace. Always has been. But heat is the last thing Nya cared about at this point.

His hand goes to her shoulder when she doesn't answer.

"We're gonna be fine. You know that, right?" Kai nudges her gently. "Promise."

"Why are we here?" Nya finally asks. "We don't have money, food, electricity . . ."

She hears Kai sigh softly. "We're here because Liam's house was dangerous. And—you deserve better than that. You deserve to grow up somewhere with . . . opportunity."

Slowly, her brain processes that. What opportunities does this place have, exactly? If anything, they'll be worse off than they were before. Again, she thinks of their new financial situation. Where will they get money? Surely blacksmiths don't make much for a living, why else would her parents have lived in this little rustic space instead of somewhere bigger?

As if reading her mind, Kai says, "We have money."

Nya raises one eyebrow, challenging. "Where?"

"Right here." From his pocket, Kai whips out a black leather wallet, cash poking out of the folds. Nya's eyes go wide. That wallet belongs to Liam.

"You _didn't_."

"Oh, I _did_." Kai pockets the wallet again. "It's enough to get us started. We'll get the shop running again, no problem. I'll teach you how to do everything."

Ugh. Nya fights the urge to make a face, because blacksmithing is probably the last thing she's interested in doing. She already knows all about it—she read all sorts of things in books. Who wanted to spend hours heating metal and hammering it into dumb tools, anyway?_ Booooriiiiing._

"Found your room, huh?" Kai asks, glancing around curiously. "I barely remember this. Wow." Suddenly, like he's just remembered, Kai gasps. "Oh, hey, c'mere." He starts off into the hall.

"What, why?"

"I found something."

She trails Kai into a different room, this one shrouded in shadow with the windows all covered. A king-sized bed is crammed into one corner, an antique-looking vanity in the other. Their parents' room.

Kai pulls Nya over to the mirror, gesturing around like a ringmaster in his grand circus.

"Check this out," he says. "It's almost like they're still here. We look like them."

As Nya peers into the dusty glass, she has to admit he's right. They're just younger, slightly shorter versions of their mom and dad. Weird. And a little creepy. Nya doesn't like it very much.

Kai sighs, joining her again. "I came here for a fresh start. Now we don't have to be what Liam wants us to be. We can be . . . whatever we want."

It's a profound statement from her usually-airheaded big brother, so Nya feels compelled to take those words to heart. But just as she's starting to feel better about everything, Kai yanks a drawer open to pull out a pair of glinting scissors.

Instinctively, Nya backs up.

"Wanna go first, or should I?" he asks, holding the scissors out to the side.

Appalled, Nya's mouth falls open. "Wha—_Kai_, we're not cutting our hair, that's _stupid—_"

By way of reply, Kai turns to the mirror and starts hacking at his brown waves, no method to it at all. Nya yelps, grabbing for the scissors and failing, only able to watch, horrified, as Kai finishes. His hair is now a mess of jagged locks, poking out of his head like . . . well. Nya is reminded of a porcupine that stuck their foot in a power socket.

Kai models for her, jokingly, running a hand through the new style. The uncertainty vanishes from his eyes almost immediately.

"That's what I'm talkin' about," he says.

He _likes_ it? Of course he would, he's crazy. No way is she letting him do that to her hair, not in a million years-

"C'mon, Nya," he begs. "We can be new people now! You always said you wanted something to change. Well, here's your chance."

Biting her lip, Nya gazes at her reflection, absently twirling one long strand of hair around her finger. Kai's acting like hair is a symbol, like it represents something else. Their past, their parents . . . and Nya doesn't like the idea of it. But now that he's done it . . . something inside her is jealous. She wants to be someone new. She_ wants_ a change.

"Hair grows back, I guess . . ." she mumbles, still looking unsure.

Kai hands her the scissors. Both his eyebrows go up. "Now or never, sis."

Tentatively, as if they might bite her, Nya takes the scissors and steps closer to the mirror. She pulls all her hair over one shoulder, grasped in one hand. The other hand opens the scissors. When she has them in the position she knows she wants, Nya squeezes her eyes shut.

_Snip._

One eye cracks open. Then the other one. Nya's jaw falls.

Her hair is_ short_. Like, _above her shoulders_ short. Whoa, wow, yikes, she looks different!

One hand reaches up to run her fingers through it. It's lighter and much shorter and she barely recognizes herself, but—

"Looks great," Kai smiles, nudging her shoulder. "Ready to start over?"

For the first time that week, Nya nods with confidence.


	2. In Which Nya Adpots a Kitten

**A/N: heyo! new chapter already because i had a lot of fun writing this one. kai and nya are hopelessly adorable, i rest my case.**

**updates will probably end up being kinda weekly? i haven't figured out a writing schedule yet, but i'm gonna try my best! not like i've been writing this during english class when i should be typing assignments! that'd just be . . . crazy . . .**

**enjoy, fellas!**

* * *

The first night in their new environment is rough. Nya tries to sleep in her own room, she really does. After all, she's ten now, and that's definitely old enough to survive a night with Kai right next to her. She's gonna be _mature_, gosh darn it.

But later that night, when the moon is high in the sky, Nya wakes up, her pulse hammering much faster than what is normal. She blinks, remembering where she is and that it was only a dream. The dark doesn't freak her out. No way. That's dumb.

_Stop being a baby. Woman up._

So she does, burrowing back under the covers, convinced she is beyond the days of being scared of the dark. That's behind her now. She's ten.

She lasts one more minute.

Nya rips off the blanket, scrambling out of bed and making a beeline for the door. Screw maturity, she's _lonely _and she _can't sleep. _Being ten is overrated anyways!

Just as her finger grazes the knob, the door swings open, nearly slamming her in the face. She yelps, throwing an arm up to maybe block an attack from whoever had broken into their house—

"Geez, Nya, it's _me_," Kai says, sounding worn out, but slightly amused nonetheless.

She lowers the arm, relief washing over her.

"Sorry," she says. Nya almost launches into an explanation about why she's awake, but Kai beats her to it. He reaches up to scratch the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Ah . . . so, here's the thing." He laughs resignedly. "I, uh . . . couldn't sleep. The room felt so big, and I just—"

Kai catches sight of Nya's expression, even through the hardly-existent lighting. She must look surprised, because he backtracks.

"Never mind, it's stupid," he says, relenting and making a move to turn and leave. Nya springs to life.

"No, don't go!" she all but yells. Kai turns to gawk at her. Good thing they don't have any neighbors, because all of them would've just woken up.

"I—I mean—you _can _go, if you want, but I—well—" She rocks back and forth on her heels, hoping Kai will maybe just read her mind so she can get this over with. What kind of ten-year-old can't sleep in a room by herself? Kai must think she's weak or stupid or childish—

"Actually . . . wanna head to my room? Just—ya know. It's empty. I'm not used to it yet."

A smile splits across Nya's face. "Uh, yeah. Sure. Cool."

"Cool."

Closing the door behind her, Nya trots after Kai in the hallway until they reach his room. They crawl into his bed together, curling up contentedly. Nya still feels immensely grateful that Kai didn't want to be alone, either. Not that she needs her big brother to feel safe or happy or anything, pssh.

. . . Well. Okay, maybe she just _prefers _his company to being by herself.

Eh. Whatever. Either way, Nya knows she'll sleep much better now.

oOo

Months pass. Kai, true to his word, gets the shop running again, _somehow. _He spends every day standing at the forge, sparks flying and hammer swinging. Nya wonders where he learned how to do any of this. It must be a miracle of some sort, because Nya had so many doubts that she could've written a novel about them.

But they're getting customers. Not _many_, but it's enough to buy food and, you know, stay alive. That's good enough for her!

Kai doesn't let Nya do any actual smithing yet, which she has mixed feelings about. It's not like she wanted to in the first place, but now that she's not allowed, Nya _wants_ to pound some metal. Just to prove that she _can_, thank you very much. But Kai holds firm, and she lets him have his way.

He does let her work the counter, though. It's not as fun as working with _fire_, but hey, Nya's not complaining. At least she has something to do now.

Their customers are not exactly frequent, but every now and then, someone wanders up to the shop curiously, and she's gotten a lot better at talking to people. Today, Nya is absently fingering her still-very-short hair, twirling it around as she stares at the horizon. Behind her, the sound of clanging metal rings out, and sometimes Kai makes irritated noises.

(He's not the best blacksmith, but she'll never tell _him _that.)

A figure is suddenly in front of her, hands in pockets, glancing around. Nya starts a little, straightening up and trying to look a few years older than what she is.

"Good morning!" she chirps. "What can we do for you today?"

It's an older man, maybe in his late fifties. His slightly-graying hair and warm, brown eyes give him an approachable look. He smiles at her.

"Never thought I'd see the day," says the man. Slowly, like he's in awe, he surveys the shop, eyes lingering on the weather-beaten sign in front. "Hasn't changed a bit."

"Um." Nya falters. The script Kai made her memorize doesn't exactly cover situations like this one, what's she supposed to say?

The man is looking at her quizzically, like she's someone he recognizes. "Have your parents returned?"

Something like a brick drops in Nya's stomach as she fumbles for a reply. Parents? _Returned_? Who is this guy? Does he know her parents? Does he know what happened to them?

Wait, no. Clearly he doesn't know _anything_, otherwise he wouldn't be asking _her_.

"I, uh . . . they're . . . dead, sir," Nya finally manages to force out. The man's face falls.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Before he can say anything else, Kai materializes at her side, probably alerted by her prolonged silence. He glares.

"Who are you, exactly?" he says. Nya wonders how much of the conversation he heard.

The man ducks his head a little, chuckling. "Ah, sorry. Name's Walter Pine. Used to be a regular around here, when your parents were running things."

Some of the suspicion fades from Kai's expression. It's replaced by barely-contained interest. "You—you knew them? Our parents?"

"Sure did. Ray was a good friend of mine, back in the day. I'm sorry about what happened." Walter's gaze flicks from Nya to Kai and back again. "God. You two look just like 'em."

A little flutter of pride bursts to life in Nya's stomach. She looks like her mom. She _looks _like her _mom_. She likes this guy already.

"Living with a relative?" Walter asks, tone more serious, like he's hoping they'll say yes.

To his credit, Kai only hesitates for the barest or seconds. "Yeah. Our uncle."

Walter nods, subdued. "I see. You wanted to get the place runnin' again, huh? Your uncle help you out?"

"Sometimes. He's uh, not around much."

Maybe it's sympathy, or maybe it's just general concern, but Walter gives them a little smile and glances around one last time. It's obvious he doesn't really believe Kai, but he has enough tact to let the matter drop for now.

"Well, hey. If you two ever need anything, all ya gotta do is ask. I live right over the top of that hill." Walter points across the winding stone road, referencing the patch of green farmland that always has sheep grazing in it. Nya's heart soars. Their closest neighbor is a family friend! Good to know.

"Thanks, Mr. Pine," Kai says, sounding grateful.

"Walter," the older man replies, smiling ruefully. "And no problem. Anything for Ray and Mya's kids." He turns then, walking calmly down the road, hands in his jacket pockets. Kai and Nya share a glance, exchanging silent observations. At least they're not alone here. The thought is comforting.

So yeah, sometimes the weeks go well. Sometimes Nya has a long string of good days all in a row, but she knows better than to assume it'll last. She's spent enough time around Liam to know a few good days doesn't really mean much.

The bad days usually come sneakily. They pounce on her when she's least expecting them. For instance . . .

Every week, Kai and Nya have to make the three mile journey to the Ignacia market for food and material, which wouldn't be so bad if they didn't have to _walk. _Neither sibling can drive, and they're too young anyway, so they close the shop for a day and head out down the road.

Nya thinks it's kind of lame that they have to go together, since it blocks their business off for a whole day. But Kai won't leave Nya there alone for a day, because _dangerous_, but he also won't let Nya go to town alone, because _dangerous. _So she's stuck making the trip once a week, whether she wants to or not.

To be honest, Nya hates town. Especially the marketplace. There's just so many _people_. And—not that it's relevant, of course—she hates seeing other kids wandering around _with _parents. Well—maybe it makes her a little jealous.

Okay, a _lot _jealous.

It makes rocks form in her stomach, which is not only severely uncomfortable but also very _sad. _If she just doesn't _think _about her parents, usually she can pretend she doesn't care. But things like this? They make Nya realize she _does_, in fact, care.

Kai, apparently, doesn't have this problem, because he just grabs her hand and marches right through the crowds, seemingly oblivious to the stares they're getting. And the whispers.

_Where are their parents?_

_Are they lost?_

_Are they looking for someone?_

The whispers just make Nya angry. Her life is none of anyone's _dang business_, so leave her alone, gosh. She and Kai are doing perfectly fine without adults in their lives, they don't need any dumb supervision. What's everyone so worried about?

But despite all that . . . Nya can't help the little pang of sharp longing that hits her when she sees families strolling past. She can't help it, but she can _ignore_ it, so that's what Nya does.

Nya likes to feel strong. Feeling weak is one of her biggest fears, maybe because she _grew up _with the knowledge, the constant reminder that weakness would get her in trouble. Stand up for yourself. If they hit you, hit 'em back.

Well, that's what Kai always told her. It's worked, so far.

Unfortunately for her, today is one of the bad days.

As Kai is tossing apples into a bag, Nya wanders away a little, drawn in by an abrupt raise of voices that caught her attention. Her eyes scan the market, looking for a sign of what's going on. The noise is coming from—from over _there_.

Steps a little faster now, Nya ducks behind a stack of barrels and finds herself standing at the mouth of a corner alleyway, brick walls lining either side. Right in the middle, four boys her own age are surrounding a younger, skinnier boy.

"What're you gonna do about it, Aiden?" one of them asks.

"He's prob'ly gonna _cry_," says another.

Nya can't see what's going on from where she's hiding, but from what she _hears_ . . . this sounds like something bad. Probably something an adult is better equipped to handle.

So, naturally, she takes matters into her own hands.

"Hey!" she barks out. But that's all she's got, and now all five boys are looking at her and she doesn't have a follow-up statement. Where was the wit when she needed it, geez.

"_What_?" one boy hisses, and now that she's a little closer, she can see that she's the shortest one here, which is . . . not helping.

"What's going on?" she asks, directing the question to the smallest boy in the middle—Aiden, was it?

Aiden steps forward, encouraged by her appearance. Clearly he'd been crying, though, because his voice is still wavering as he speaks. "I found this cat—and they were—they were trying to _kick _it."

Nya's eyebrows shoot up as she peeks around Aiden, and sure enough, there's a little orange kitten curled up near the wall, ears pressed flat against its head. It's so small that it could fit in Nya's two hands. At this point, it can't even defend itself. And this kid was just trying to help. Nya feels something angry bubbling in her stomach.

She whirls on the taller boys. "Why would you do that? What'd the cat ever do to _you_, huh?"

One boy scoffs, tossing an amused glance at his friends. They laugh.

"Awfully tough, arn'cha?" he says. "We don't listen to little girls."

_Little_? Nya knows she's maybe on the shorter side, but _little_? That's pushing it a bit. Her hands curl into fists at her side.

"Leave 'em alone," she orders, stepping between the cat and the four boys. Aiden shuffles over to stand next to her, which makes her feel a little better, even though he doesn't look any stronger than her.

"Or what?"

"Yeah, or _what_?"

Two of the boys shove Nya aside and pick up the kitten, letting it dangle by the scruff of its neck. Nya grabs for it.

"Put it _down_!"

They don't listen. They laugh louder as Nya tries harder, jumping up and down to reach the poor cat, but nothing is working. Aiden watches with wide eyes.

"Come and get your kitty," one boy taunts. "C'mon, shorty, can't you reach?"

"Jump higher next time!"

"Oh—almost had it!"

Their teasing blurs into static between Nya's ears. She stops trying and steps back, tears building up as she bites down on her lip.

Why is she so _useless_, this is impossible. She should've walked away when she still had some dignity left. Now the boys are laughing at her and Aiden is waiting, expecting her to do something.

She tried to help and she failed.

Never mind this whole thing.

Nya stomps away, squeezing her eyes shut at the hoots from the boys.

_Come on, Nya, you're better than that. You scared Liam away but you can't even handle some dumb boys._

She's pathetic.

As she hurries for the alley's entrance, Nya imagines what Kai would say about this. His voice rings in her ears.

_Seriously? Quitting already? You're not a baby anymore. Get back in there and finish this._

"Shut up," Nya mutters to Kai's voice in her head.

Just before leaving the scene behind, something makes Nya pause. She hears the boys shouting and laughing, and from the corner of her eye she sees them tossing the kitten back and forth like a ball. Rage ignites in her again.

Aiden is still doing his best, calling out, "Stop! Guys, I'm serious, _stop_!" It's not working.

Absently, Nya eyes a broken board lying close to her feet.

_Maybe . . . no. No. Nya, just leave. Just go._

But she stays. And when Aiden makes a pained grunting sort of sound, Nya turns just in time to see him stumble backwards into a muddy puddle, the other kids laughing because they pushed him.

Nya _hates_ people that_ push_ other people.

Yeah, she's _mad_ now.

Caution thrown to the wind, Nya picks up the board and spins right around, running all the way over to the boys and vaulting right onto the tallest one's back. He yelps. Aiden's mouth falls open in astonishment

"Hey—hey, _get off_!" He whips around all over the place, jerking Nya in every direction, but she's _sick _of these kids and she's not done yet.

Before the other guys can move a muscle, Nya cracks the board down on the tall boy's head. With a surprised gasp, he topples over, landing hard on the smooth dirt. Easily, Nya rolls off of him and snatches up the kitten, tossing the broken board at the nearest boy.

"I _said_, leave. Them. Alone."

Newly inspired, Aiden grins and hops over to stand by Nya again. They don't look like much, but Nya isn't that scared anymore. The boys are looking at her like she just grew a second head, which means she's successfully established her dominance here. Feels good.

From her arms, the kitten mews appreciatively.

Ha. She showed them. And she'll show them again if she has to, because _man _did that feel great. Kai would be so—

"_Nya_?!"

She jumps a little at the voice. Kai's voice. He's squeezing through the opening she'd crawled through, but it seems like it's more difficult for him, since he's slightly bigger. Finally, with an annoyed grunt, Kai strides over, looking much older than he really is.

"What's this?" he demands, casting a threatening glare over the group of boys. When no one says anything, Nya pipes up.

"They were pickin' on this kid. And this cat." Fondly, Nya holds up the tiny kitten, which squirms a bit in her grasp.

One of Kai's eyebrows goes up as he looks her over. Seeing that she's unharmed, he turns to the other kids and gestures abruptly.

"Well _go on_, get outta here!" he yells. Like the flick of a switch, the four boys are gone in a blink.

Maybe Aiden is set on edge by Kai's (rather intimidating) presence, because he punches Nya lightly on the shoulder and says, "Hey, thanks." He takes off in a flash.

Nya is left standing there with that little ball of orange fluff, and Kai's looking at her with an odd expression.

"Whaaat?" Nya asks, putting on her best _I'm innocent _face.

"What did you do?" Kai sighs wearily.

"Nothing."

Kai glares skeptically and Nya caves.

"Okay, they were being really _mean_, and what was I _supposed_ to do? Stand there and let 'em mess with that kid? Or this _kitten_?"

Kai tilts his head back and groans. When he meets her eyes again, there's a new emotion there. Not that she should make assumptions, but—she's pretty sure Kai looks proud.

"Fine. You're off the hook, for _now. _We need to head back, before it gets late."

Giving her one last _I'm watching you _look, Kai starts out of the alley, shaking his head amusedly. He could be such a _mom _sometimes. Not that Nya would know, or anything, but still.

Also . . . she can't leave the alley.

Kai notices she's not following and peeks back at her. "Come on," he says. "What're you waiting for, a golden invitation?"

Nya shifts uncomfortably. See, the thing is . . . she's kinda still holding the kitten, and she thinks it might've fallen asleep, and she just doesn't have the heart to put it down. But she's also way too scared to ask Kai if she can keep it.

Thankfully, Kai beats her to the subject.

His eyes light up with realization when he looks down at the kitten she's cradling. He winces.

"Nya . . . we can't take it home."

Her whole mood takes a dive off a cliff. "But - we can't just _leave_ it here!"

Kai tries to open his mouth and say some other lame, responsible stuff, but Nya rushes over and holds up the kitten, right in front of his face.

"Look at it!" Nya pleads. "Look how small and cute!"

"Nya -"

"You're saying you would_ abandon_ this poor kitten? On _purpose_?"

When Kai stutters, Nya knows she has him trapped. And when she gives him her best shiny, begging puppy-dog-eyes, he doesn't stand a chance. He at least tries, though, standing there with his arms crossed, like it's supposed to make him look authoritative.

Finally, after a maddening stretch of silence, Kai shakes his head and frowns. "Ugh, _fine_. We can keep it for a little while, but then you gotta find it a new home, okay?"

Nya beams, bouncing forward for a quick hug.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she blurts out. The kitten stirs quietly in her hands and Nya stops moving, remembering not to wake it.

So, she gently sets it in the pocket of her jacket and follows Kai back up the winding stone road, all the way home.

During the walk, Nya can't decide what to feel, exactly. Sure, she stood up for that kid, and she informally adopted a kitten, but the events before that replay in her mind, over and over again. It's not fun. Nya's reminded of the feeling she'd been exposed to - anger and guilt and helplessness.

She hates it. Feeling weak sucks, and she doesn't ever want to deal with it ever again. So it's right then that Nya decides she's going to do something about it, someday. Someday, when she's old enough, she's gonna help people. And the bad guys will be scared of _her_, not the other way around.

It's more of a passing thought than a solemn vow, but Nya keeps it locked away in her subconscious, knowing it'll come in handy one day.


	3. Kai Tries Adulting

**A/N: here we are again, everybody. been getting my writing done at night and then just . . . sleeping in class. a small price to pay for progress!**

**i wasn't sure about this chapter, i kinda wanted to go back and alter it, but . . . i couldn't make myself do it, okay? nya needs a father figure in her life and i'm gonna _give it to her. _**

**anyway, here's this!**

* * *

Life as a blacksmith is hard, but life with a kitten is even harder. That's the mindset Nya develops over the next week, when she has to keep one eye on that cat at all times. Kai looks like he wants to say, "I told you so," but miraculously, he keeps that to himself. Nya can still see it in his expression, though.

Days pass. Kai's birthday comes and goes without much celebration, but he's finally thirteen, which means his ego is that much bigger now. Nya's birthday isn't for another two months, but he still holds that over her head.

"Now I'm _three _years older than you," he claims proudly, smirking. Nya doesn't have the heart to tell him that's not how it works.

They're getting more customers now, which is good and bad. Good, because this means more money, which makes survival a whole lot easier. And bad, because Kai can't singlehandedly deal with a workload like that.

Thankfully, Nya has a solution.

"Let me help!" she offers one day, as Kai clangs diligently at a long strip of metal, the midday sun beating down on the thin awning.

Kai doesn't look up. "No."

"Please?"

"No."

Nya sighs dramatically, draping herself across the anvil. Kai yelps, jumping away when he nearly pounds her in the head.

"Nya, what the _heck_! Get off, you could've gotten hurt—"

"You're no fun," Nya mumbles, sliding down onto the ground. She makes sure to keep sighing at regular intervals, louder each time, until Kai whips around and nails her with a glare.

"_What_."

Nya shrugs innocently. "I dunno, if you let me help, this could be done a lot faster, don'cha think?"

"You're literally _ten_, I'm not just gonna hand you a hammer and say, 'Here ya go, go crazy, sis!'"

Frustratedly, Nya nudges Kai's leg with her foot. "Why not?"

Her brother throws his head back, forcing out a weird laugh that ends in a sort of groan.

"Okay, fine. _Fine_. C'mere. I'll teach you the _basics_, but that's it."

Nya refrains from pointing out that Kai himself only knows the basics, so this whole deal is a little faulty, but whatever. She can help! She can feel useful!

"Okay, so, take this," Kai says, handing her the hammer. "Then hold it like—yeah, move your hand a little. Yep. But don't—"

Nya swings the hammer down on the metal, sending golden sparks flying in every direction, including dangerously close to Kai's hair. There's a screech from his direction, and Nya turns around to see what the problem is.

"Okay, okay that's exactly what we _don't_ wanna do," Kai says, clearly losing patience already. "Just—stick to the counter today, alright?"

Oh, _heck_ no. She's not done yet, he doesn't get to change his mind that quickly. Lucky for Nya, she knows exactly how to keep Kai on the right track. Switching tactics, Nya grins, playfully poking Kai in the shoulder.

"You're just scared I'm gonna be_ better_ than you," she mocks.

"Wha—! No, no—that's crazy. I'm not—"

Nya dances around Kai, flapping her arms and letting out a torrent of undignified chicken noises. Kai tries to shoo her away, but he only lasts another few seconds before he breaks, just like she knew he would. Kai's patience is the only thing shorter than her, apparently.

"Fine, blacksmith competition, now!" he says sharply, herding her over to the second anvil off to the side. Of course he's gonna make her use the _lame_ anvil. Kai always says the surface is too bumpy, so he hates using it, but she'll have to deal. Her spirited brother could never resist a good competition.

"What're we making?" Nya asks, excited.

Kai's barely listening to her. "Sword. Start. Now."

Squealing giddily, Nya grabs the nearest tools and sets to work, calling up all the instructions in her head. She's seen Kai do this a hundred times before, it can't be too difficult. Plus, if he's actually worried she'll be better, she might as well prove him right.

So Nya pays no more attention to Kai, because she's focused on fashioning a fully-functioning sword out of bits and pieces. She hammers the metal with careful precision, flinching a little at the sound, but mostly just grinning from ear to ear because _HA, she's making a sword!_

When it's the basic shape she wants, Nya hauls it over to the forge and holds it there, slowly turning it back and forth, watching the flames reflect off the metal in a brilliant orange glow. She would be content to watch this all day, but Kai is still in the corner, talking to himself as he works on his own project. Nya can't waste time.

Somehow, when Nya pulls the sword from the fire, it's perfectly melted _just _enough, she _knows _it. So then it's back to hammering, with more force than before. Making swords is _hard _but it's _fun_. There's no way Kai's gonna win this now. He's beyond screwed.

And he knows it, too, because he glances over at her and lets out a gasp. It's one of his _oh, crap, this is bad _gasps that means she's _winning._

Times passes quicker when you're blacksmithing, that's what Nya decides. Soon, she's slamming her hands down and yelling, "Done!" at the same time as Kai, and they spin around to face each other.

Kai's eyes go wide when he looks at Nya's sword, silver and beautiful, smoothed into a perfect curve. The handle is decorated with a swirling piece of metal that wraps around in a pattern that resembles a vine, tiny leaves carefully molded and placed for detail. Kai blinks.

His sword isn't bad, truthfully, and it's evident that he really did put effort into it. But the hilt is slightly crooked, and the blade isn't exactly as smooth as it could be . . .

Nya has definitely won. But, uh . . . how does she say that without dashing Kai's pride against the rocks? His ego is balancing precariously here, what should she do?

Kai crosses his arms over his chest, squinting appraisingly.

"Touché, sis," he says.

Now it's Nya's turn to blink.

"I—what?"

"You win." Kai's laughing now, not angry at all. "Man. Looks like I underestimated ya."

At first, this praise confuses Nya, because since when does Kai let someone _else _win? Who is this person and what has he done with her brother? But then she decides to just accept it today, since it may be _years_ before it happens again. Compliments from Kai are rare indeed.

"I—thanks! Is it good?"

Kai looks like he's about to say yes, but then his expression shifts a little and he says, "Well—I mean, it's—ya know. Pretty average."

_Aaaaand he's back._

But he reaches over to ruffle her hair and wink, and Nya smiles, knowing exactly where she stands. The title of Best Family Blacksmith rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it. Yeah, she feels pretty good about herself.

"Think it'll sell?" Nya asks, gesturing to her creation.

Kai grabs the sword and sets it aside. "Don't sell it!"

"Wha—why not?"

"Because it's—well besides being totally average, it's—kinda cool." The admiration slips through his tone. "Keep it. It's your first one, it's special."

Huh. Maybe he's got a point. She _is _remarkably proud of it, and someday it'll be fun to find it and remember it was her first sword. She'll probably be much better at smithing by then. Hopefully.

"Okay."

Running the shop goes much more smoothly after that, because now Kai (begrudgingly) lets Nya make weapons and tools sometimes. They rotate jobs accordingly and find out that Kai is actually a much better people-person than Nya is, so he works the counter more. She works the forge more often as a result, and life is swell.

Except . . .

Living on their own is . . . meh.

There's a little thought in the back of Nya's head, mostly silent but always present, telling her this is very weird. Kids don't normally live by themselves, running a family business and being—generally alone. She supposes it happens sometimes, but it's hard not to get bitter. It's hard to stop thinking, _But why'd it have to happen to us?_

It'd be nice to have parents, maybe. She imagines they'd be pretty helpful. The things she knows about parents aren't extensive, since she wasn't old enough to appreciate them at the time, but. Ya know.

On slow days, Nya sits on the cramped kitchen floor, flicking around little pebbles and watching the kitten chase them. She unofficially names it Allie, after the place she was found (_alley, _ha, Nya feels clever) though she's not sure if the cat is a girl. Kai says there are ways to check, but Nya's not exactly comfortable with any of them.

Kai's so busy with the shop that he's practically forgotten the kitten even exists, which means Nya isn't worried about having to give it up anytime soon. Besides, it's nice to have a friend, even if it _is _only an animal. So what? At least Nya's not bored anymore.

Soon, she turns eleven, and Kai gives her a book about mechanics that he must've bought when she wasn't paying attention. She's thrilled.

"You're the only eleven-year-old on the _planet _that cares about machinery," Kai says, shaking his head. But he flashes her a smile anyway, reminding her that (secretly) he actually thinks her interest is kind of refreshing. And he's right! Nya _does _care about machinery, she thinks it's complex and interesting and fun to look at. All the moving parts and detailed components! She could look at them all day. Kai is fascinated by her excitement.

The end of summer closes in, and fall is on its way. Kai makes a few solo trips to town so he can find material to keep the house warm. They have a fireplace and a furnace, but there's really only heat in the living room and forge. The bedrooms are almost always cold, and don't even get Nya _started _on the bathroom. Their hot water is limited, and Kai likes to use all of it.

One day, while Kai is out at the market, Nya wanders around and stumbles across a closet near the kitchen. There are packed boxes inside, along with random cleaning supplies and weird adult-things like lightbulbs and wire.

Nya finds some blankets in there and yanks them out. They're dusty, but she'll shake them out later when Kai gets back. She's not supposed to leave the house when he's gone, because apparently she's only old enough to be home alone and _that's it._

Whatever. As Nya hauls the blankets to her room (Kai doesn't need them anyway, he's his own heater), Allie tags along, playfully swatting at Nya's heels the whole way. As always, Nya's room is mostly dark, except for one lamp burning on the desk. When they'd first moved in, they assumed there wouldn't be any lightbulbs around, and Kai hadn't thought to buy any. But there are some in the closet . . .

_Hmm._

Dumping the blanket load on her bed, Nya skids back into the kitchen to raid the closet. A few minutes later, she emerges with her arms full of lightbulbs, tinfoil, batteries and string.

When Kai comes home later, he calls her name throughout the house. "Nya? What're you doing?"

He finds her in her room, balancing precariously atop the windowsill as she struggles to hang a string of—a string of what looks like colored lights.

"Kai!" she grins, glancing down. "Look what I did! I found all this stuff in the kitchen closet!"

Kai looks like he doesn't know what to do, exactly. He starts by spinning around, admiring Nya's new decorations. She's taken the lightbulbs and painted them different colors, then tied them to a long piece of string and hung them up all over the room.

"We don't really have the electricity for this," Kai says. He would know, too. He'd spent _hours _over the past few months contacting companies and pretending to be an adult, setting up electricity and plumbing and other stuff. They are on a "tight budget", he insists. But that's why Nya crafted her decorations with a responsible mindset.

"Check this out," Nya beams, hopping down off the windowsill and very nearly banging her head on the desk. Kai winces at that, but he follows her to the corner anyway, where the light string trails off to end in a little box-like device.

"Battery powered!" boasts Nya, energetically gesturing to the box. "Go on, look at it!"

Suspicious but still interested, Kai crouches down, gently lifting the tiny plastic box and turning it over. Two batteries sit inside, much too small, but they're pressed against little balls of tinfoil on all sides. He doesn't understand exactly why he feels excited, so he turns to Nya.

"Uh . . . what does it do?"

Like it should be obvious, Nya gives him a disbelieving look, grabbing the box from him. "I found this battery power box in the closet, but we didn't have any batteries big enough to fit. So I just altered it a little! And—look at this."

Nya flips the tiny switch, and the lightbulbs glow in brilliant blues and purples, casting florescent shapes and shadows across the walls. Kai gapes, wondering how the heck Nya designed this, how had she configured her own battery-powered lights? She was a kid, for crying out loud.

"How—I mean, did you—what—" Kai's at a loss for words. The room has a whole new atmosphere now, like his mood has been lifted somehow. The cool-toned light reminds him of being underwater (not that he'd really know; he never had learned to swim). Nya bounces happily from corner to corner, twirling around to admire her work.

She glances at Kai, where he's still grounded to the spot where she left him. He seems impressed, though, and that's all Nya cares about. She's pretty proud of herself, too, if she's being honest. She'd never worked with electricity before, but everything had just . . . made sense. The science of it just clicked. Nya doesn't know how to explain it, but the feeling alone is enough for now.

"So you're, like, smart?" Kai asks, eyebrows high on his forehead as he gawks at her.

Is that a compliment? An accusation? Should she be smiling or should she be offended? Nya can't decide. Instead, she just offers a casual, somewhat oblivious shrug.

"I dunno, I guess so."

Kai blinks. "Okay."

"Okay."

"Make some of these for_ my_ room."

oOo

Kai and Nya grow apart.

Well, okay, not _really_, but the metaphorical distance between them is definitely stretching out as the days go by.

She's heard about stuff like this happening, but she'd never expected it to hit her so suddenly like this.

It makes sense, she guesses. It's been a little more than half a year since they've moved out of Liam's house, and Kai's getting progressively more buried under a mountain of responsibility. Nya tries to help, but he seems to think she shouldn't have to. He wants to do everything by himself, and Nya can see that it's not healthy for him at all.

Kai barely sleeps. She hears him up at all hours of the night, sometimes clanging around in the kitchen, sometimes hammering away at something in the forge. The siblings still see each other every day, she still gets to run the shop with him. But Kai is such a_ dang workaholic._

When he's not working on weapons, he's out finding firewood, making trips to the market, blah blah blah. He doesn't have time to talk to her anymore, or just sit there and read together, or _anything._ Some part of Nya wants to be mad, because this cat won't entertain her forever, she wants her brother around. But then the other part of Nya tells her to be petty about it and then move on. She doesn't need Kai, she can have fun on her own. Just _watch_ her.

So, Nya decides she's independent now. If Kai wants to focus on the shop, fine. She'll start building her own life from the ground up, that's fine, too.

That's why, one day, Nya wakes up earlier than Kai and sneaks right out her bedroom window, diving outside and feeling immensely grateful that their house is only one floor. Her sock-clad feet step quickly over the grass, which has turned a crispy brown with the change in seasons. The morning air is winter-cold, even though it's not actually winter yet. Kai keeps saying he thinks it'll snow soon, but Nya doesn't think so. Day of the Departed hasn't even happened yet.

Ah, yikes, she doesn't want to think about the holiday. Liam never celebrated it, so Nya wonders if she and Kai will do something to honor their parents this year. She hopes so, because at least at Liam's she could see all the lanterns floating away. Their new house is too far away for that.

Nya makes it to the road and takes off at a sprint, casting a hurried glance behind her to make sure Kai hasn't seen her. The shop door is still shut, so that's good.

Instead of taking the road to town, Nya heads the opposite direction and marvels at the sudden change in scenery. Now she can see the surrounding farmland much better, huge patches of rolling green and yellow spreading out to the horizon. There are a few lone cows grazing in the distance, but no sheep yet. Still, she continues on her way, just enjoying the cool air and light breeze.

_Ahhh_, independence. It feels awesome.

After Nya has walked a decent amount of time down the road (sticking close to the side, because she wasn't trying to get _run over_), she catches sight of a homely residence, white paneling standing out against the blue sky backdrop. Her first thought is something along the lines of _never approach a stranger's house_, but then she remembers why she's here.

Nya hesitantly wanders up to the door, which is in the middle of an admittedly envious porch, littered with colorful leaves that have blown off the trees in the front yard. Desperately hoping it's the right house, Nya knocks.

Approximately six seconds later, the knob clicks and the door swings open, revealing a shocked Walter Pine on the other side.

"Nya," he says, as if recalling her name. "A little far from home, aren't you?"

Nya shrugs, suddenly shy. C'mon, this guy is harmless, what's she waiting for? Worst case scenario, he thinks she's being annoying and sends her home.

"Yeah . . . I, uh—I was just wondering—I mean, I just—it's—"

Amusedly, Walter chuckles. "Listen, kid, don't worry. Wanna talk about it over pancakes?"

Pancakes? Sounds pretty appetizing compared to the slightly-burnt toast she's been eating every morning.

"Sure."

Walter must've been in the middle of cooking his breakfast, because there's a pan on the stove and a bowl of batter sitting on the counter. Nya pulls out a chair and sits down, quickly giving the room a once-over. It looks . . . almost exactly how she'd _expected_ a middle-aged bachelor's kitchen to look. Wooden furniture, checkered curtains and mismatched knick-knacks on the shelves, like random trophies and what seems to be a pair of bowling shoes.

Photographs line a wall that Nya can barely see, since it's part of the staircase around a corner. Walter definitely lives alone, because a wife would've never let him keep that ugly forest green wallpaper up.

Walter pours the batter into the pan. It sizzles as he turns to Nya.

"Where's your brother?"

She swings her heels absently, eyes still roaming around the room curiously. "At home. I snuck out."

"Ooh, we've got ourselves a rebel," Walter says, but he's using that tone that adults use when they're trying to make a joke. Eh, oh well. He might not be hilarious, but he's talking to her, which is more than Kai's doing at the moment.

"Yeah. Kai's busy with the—"

_AGH. _Nya's words cut off abruptly when she realizes what she almost gave away. Walter doesn't know they're living alone, he could call Child Protective Services or something! They'd have to go live at a foster home! They'd have to eat porridge and sleep in cots probably!

Nya feels dizzy.

Walter's eyebrows pinch in the middle as he says, "Look, I know you two aren't living with family. I know damn well."

Nya's chest is about to explode from fear or relief, she can't choose one.

He continues. "I'm not gonna tell anybody. Now, I don't know your situation, but I'm serious. You ever need someone to help out, just lemme know, you hear?"

He's not—he's not gonna tell anyone. _Whoosh_—Nya's anxiety flies right out the open window.

"Th—thanks," she manages.

The two of them eat their pancakes in mostly companionable silence, forks clinking and the antique clock ticking away. Every few minutes, when she gathers enough courage, Nya sneaks a glance at Walter where he sits across from her. She attempts to discern what she's feeling right now. It's something . . . warm. Warm and melty and soft. Like . . .

She wants this. Nya wants this every day, for the rest of her life. She wants a nice, cozy farmhouse with checkered curtains and someone to make her blueberry pancakes in the morning. She wants this peace inside of her, she wants it to stay forever.

Stalling, Nya asks if Walter has any books. He smiles, and together they walk to another room, one with a TV and three whole mahogany bookshelves. They're packed full, the bindings facing outwards in an enticing rainbow. Nya abandons all awkwardness and rushes for them, mouth open in an awestruck smile.

She reaches for a book, then quickly retracts her hand. Looking back at Walter, Nya blinks.

"Can I—?"

Walter laughs, shoving his hands in his jean pockets. "I mean, go right ahead, kiddo."

Squealing is for _babies _so Nya doesn't do that, but she _does _bounce a tiny bit, just because this is the coolest day _ever. _And she spends the rest of it on the living room floor of Walter's house. The mound of books grows around her. He has the _best books ever_. Ones about wilderness survival and different kinds of birds and one about fixing cars. Nya doesn't even _have _a car, but the book makes her want one, just so she can break it and fix it.

Walter leaves her to her own devices, only popping in a few times to offer snacks or water. Before long, the sun is sinking lower in the sky, turning the blue to a pale orange. Nya doesn't notice this until Walter pokes his head in the doorway and calls her name.

"Hey, hate to say it, but it's getting kinda late, don't you think?"

Pulling herself out of a story about ancient samurai, Nya shakes her head to clear it. Man, he's right. The sun is setting and—

Holy _swear word_, she's been gone all day! Kai's probably looking for her! Oh _no_, she needs to get home _right the heck now—_

Picking up on her panic, Walter nods his head to the window. "Need a ride?"

"Yes, please!"

So she gets back to Four Weapons in, like, a third of the time it took her to walk to Walter's, and the nice man stops her before she can hop out of the car.

"Forgetting something?" he asks, holding out a book, the red cover worn and embroidered with thin gold detailing. It's the one she'd liked the most, the one about samurai and ancient Ninjago. He's—not _giving _it to her, is he?

"That's—it's not mine," she says.

"It is now." Walter passes her the book, which she takes with reverence, carefully holding it close to her chest.

"I—_thank you_," Nya whispers, meaning it.

"Anytime, kid." And with that, Nya slides out of the passenger seat and Walter drives back down the road, the last rays of sunset glinting off his rear view mirrors.

For a moment, Nya stands there breathless, watching the sun dip below the smooth horizon line. Her skin prickles a bit when the chill of night rolls in, welcomed by the spreading darkness. Some lonely crickets chirp in the bushes. It's . . . probably the most relaxed she's felt in years. She never wants to forget this day. Her day with books and warm houses and a dad . . .

Nothing can ruin this moment. Nothing at all.

Promptly, the front door bursts open so loudly that Nya screams. Kai comes dashing out, looking distressed.

"Nya, what the _heck_—thank _god_—where did you—what were you—_GEEZ_." He cuts off by slamming right into her, both arms going around her in a rib-crushing hug, which she returns. The book is pressed between them, and the corner is jabbing into her stomach, but Kai hasn't hugged her in a while, and she's _missed_ it. Whatever. Sue her.

Nya does give her brother an explanation, and he rattles off a lecture so long that by the time he's done, Nya has fallen asleep in his bed, one arm hanging off the side limply.

Kai rolls his eyes, but smiles. He crawls into the other side, pulling up the blankets so they can stay toasty tonight. One arm goes around his pillow, and he gently drapes the other one over Nya's shoulder.

The movement wakes her, but she stays still. A happy flutter springs to life in her stomach. She misses this. She misses her normal, not-stressed brother.

She wants to reach over and hug him again, but hey, this is the first night he's slept in, like, way too long, so Nya is content to just lie there, eventually drifting off to the rhythmic sound of Kai's heartbeat close to her ear.

* * *

**A/N: ALSO! who's seen the finale of season 11? i just don't know how i feel about it, i think it lacked a lot of closure. i dunno. either way, zane and pixal just get me every time. THEY'RE TOO CUTE, i can't handle it.**


	4. In Which Things Are Good For a While

**A/N: hey, hi, it's me, back again. here to deliver chapter 4, which could also be titled "Nya Gets Sick and then Learns to Drive". yeah. i know. brace yourselves.**

**this chapter is mostly just me trying to fill in the blanks in the backstory of kai and nya . . . because we all know they had to learn basic life skills _somewhere._ so here's some fluff and such. don't get used to it, but enjoy it while it's here! **

* * *

The Smith siblings soon discover that they don't really need two people in the shop at all times, especially since the winter months are upon them and most people are staying indoors. Nya doesn't bug Kai about the Day of the Departed holiday—she just sneaks away and lights a single lantern (given to her by Walter) in the backyard, letting it float into the sky, taking a little piece of her with it.

Next comes the snow. There's no warning whatsoever. One morning, it's cloudy and grey, autumn leaves blowing across the road. The next morning, the crystal blue sky is the only color for miles, and the entire countryside is painted a smooth white. Nya's so excited to go outside that she practically rips the door off the hinges, but Kai drags her back in, shoving a hat on her head and tossing a coat at her.

She rolls her eyes. Kai's been acting like a total parent lately, but whatever, she's used to it. Could be worse, she supposes. At least they don't yell or argue like some siblings probably do. It's nice that he cares, but Nya's still adapting to the feeling of someone expressing concern for her. Growing up, Kai was always_ there_, but it wasn't like this. It's like he's adopted the roll of mom_ and_ dad lately, which has gotta be exhausting. She tries to make his job as easy as possible.

While Kai gets the shop opened for the morning, Nya rolls around in the freshly fallen snow, somersaulting around and chucking poorly aimed snowballs at her brother. The atmosphere of winter is different now that they're living outside of Liam's house. The world just seems so much bigger. Weird to think it's always been this big, she's just seeing that for the first time.

Snow keeps falling all morning and afternoon, and that night, Nya joins Kai in front of the fireplace and they snuggle up together under a pile of blankets, because they're not financially stable enough to run the heater yet. But ya know what? Things are good. She's warm. Can't get much better than this.

Except, when Nya wakes up the next morning, something feels a little _off. _She can't pinpoint the exact problem, but she can feel something wrong inside her. There's a dull pain spreading up the back of her neck, probably about to blossom into a headache, and her stomach feels a little weird . . . but that's about it. It's not enough for her to be that concerned about it, so she says nothing. Kai clearly doesn't notice any difference, so it's not bad. She's fine!

She's a little slow today, though. The headache does get progressively worse, creeping up to her head and settling there. While she's lifting the box of tools to clean up her workspace, a sudden sharpness behind her eyes kicks in, and she yelps, dropping everything on the floor. Her vision swims wildly.

Kai stops what he's doing, turning at the sound of harsh clattering.

"What was that -_ whoa,_ Nya, are you okay?"

Nya staggers forward one step, blinking like she'd just been blinded by the sun. Slowly, the world stops spinning and she can see the worried look Kai's giving her.

"Yeah! I just - I saw . . . I saw a spider in there."

For a few tense seconds, it doesn't seem like Kai's going to believe her story, what with the way he's frowning, one eyebrow raised in concern. But then a _literal spider_ scurries across the floor, right between Kai's feet, and he jumps away, chasing after it angrily. Nya marvels at the timing; hopefully the spider survives Kai's wrath, she owes it big time.

Nothing eventful happens the rest of the day, and Nya goes to bed pretending the headache hasn't evolved into a stomachache as well. No need to bother Kai with more problems, he's already swamped as it is. It's probably just a one-day virus, anyway. Everything's all good here, she's never been better!

She wakes up in the middle of the night, heart hammering inside her chest as she tries to breathe. She can't—she _can't breathe_, oh gosh, she's gonna die—

Nya tumbles out of bed, coughing and bracing her hands on the floor. Her chest feels less blocked now that she's not lying down, but it's dark and cold and her whole body is shaking—

Her stomach feels like there's a squirrel inside of it, running around and scratching everything, tearing at her lungs with little sharp claws—

Perhaps alerted by all the sudden noise, Kai comes stumbling in tiredly, raking his hair back with one hand. He sees her on the floor and makes a startled sort of noise, kneeling down next to her.

"What's wrong, what's wrong?" he asks frantically.

She wants to answer but she can't speak, she can't—she can barely _breathe_, there's_ fire_ inside her lungs—

"Hurts," is the only thing she manages to croak out raggedly, and Kai's panic visibly spikes.

"Can you move?"

Nya's coughing so much that she can't answer him, she just heaves where she's sitting, feeling her throat go raw. But she can't stop, she needs to _breathe—_

She vomits.

oOo

Kai is obviously lost and has no clue what to do, but he cleans up the mess she made and lifts her back into bed (Nya wonders when he got muscles, she doesn't know where they came from). Her body won't stop shaking, and she feels ice on her skin, like she's been stuck in a freezer for a week. But when Kai lays a hand on her forehead, he flinches.

"You're burning up," he says. Nya wants to argue that maybe he's wrong, since he's always warm, but she's really not in any position to talk. The coughing continues relentlessly, an awful sort of rattling that sounds disgusting and horrific, even to Nya's own ears.

But Kai doesn't want to leave the house to go to town and get medicine or help. He seems to think she'll absolutely die if he goes anywhere, but there's not much in the house that is doing any good. He finds some cough syrup, but judging by the aged label, it's not something Nya wants to be swallowing. Kai keeps her hydrated, even though she refuses to eat. Every now and then, when she's not busy hacking up a lung, Nya can drink water.

She's miserable for days, buried under a mound of blankets because the heater still isn't on. Kai drifts in and out of her room, asking how she's doing and does she need anything? But she's hardly present. Nya sleeps most of the time, and when she's awake, the phlegm clogs up her throat so badly that breathing turns into a monstrous chore. Dizziness comes next, then Kai decides she has a fever on top of all that. He doesn't know what's wrong, and he tries to stay calm when he's talking to her. But a few times, when Nya was pretending to be asleep, she's seen Kai pacing the length of her room, looking more terrified than she'd ever seen him.

This is not reassuring, but there's nothing she can do. Nothing except hope it passes and she makes it out okay.

After a full week, Kai decides he needs to open the shop again, because they can't afford to lose any more business. Their budget is already shrinking every day, and now this has set them back a good deal. Nya can't help but feel guilty, even though this is well beyond her control. Kai just looks so _tired_.

For a few more days, whatever sickness she's caught gets worse, and Nya goes 48 hours without eating or drinking anything. The only thing she can do is cough. By now, her throat is red and raw inside, she's worried she might start coughing up blood sometime soon . . . but she hopes desperately Kai won't have to deal with that.

It's so bad that Nya's getting scared. She hasn't left her bed in days, her stomach is empty, her head won't stop throbbing, and she feels freezing cold at all times, even though Kai insists she's roasting hot. Maybe it wouldn't be so terrifying if she could know what the problem is, but there's no way to find out. Not in their current situation, anyway. She tries to mention Walter, because maybe he could help, but she hasn't been able to speak for . . . days. Maybe a week? She doesn't remember. Everything has just passed in a painful, sleepy haze.

Just when things reach their peak, Nya wakes up one morning feeling ten times better. Kai's not in her room, so she blinks for a moment, tentatively clearing her throat to test it out. It hurts (like, a _lot_). Does that mean she still can't talk? The headache is gone . . . and she can breathe fine, for the most part. Nya wants to feel relieved, but she just ends up getting irritated. Stupid freaking _sickness_ and stupid _bacteria. _She's wasted_ days_ just lying here! Kai's had to do everything on his own! He's probably made _himself_ sick from worrying so much!

Expression unamused and not very hopeful, Nya tries a, "Testing, one, two, three." Her voice isn't exactly clear, but it's there! It's THERE, she can_ talk—!_

She flies out of bed, tossing the blankets all over the floor and heading for the hallway. Unfortunately, her extended time in bed has taken away most of her mobility and coordination, and all the blood rushes to her head in a dizzying burst of static, so Nya pauses a moment to grab a chair and steady herself. Man, being sick _sucks. _But it's okay now, because Kai's gonna be so happy she's awake and moving and alive!

When the room doesn't look upside-down anymore, Nya scrambles out of the room and plows into Kai's room down the hall. He's still in bed, curled up under the covers like a hibernating chipmunk. Nya skids to a stop in the doorway. Yeah, she's excited to be feeling better, but . . . gosh, he just looks so peaceful. There's not even the usual crease between his eyebrows, Kai's actually _sleeping soundly_ for once.

Well. Nya can't exactly wake him up right now without feeling really bad about it, so she heads for the kitchen instead. Her stomach's been empty for far too long, but she knows eating too much at once can make her sick all over again, so she doesn't risk it. The only thing she eats is a slightly-brown banana, which isn't all that appetizing. Nya likes her bananas green, but don't tell Kai, he thinks it's weird.

She does him a favor and opens the shop on her own, running it solo for almost a whole hour. She's in the middle of smelting a piece of iron when Kai stumbles in, rubbing sleep from his eyes and still clothed head-to-toe in his pajamas. At first, he doesn't notice her. Then, as he's going through the motions for the morning, he walks past her and stops in his tracks. Kai whirls around.

"Wha—you're up?" he asks.

Nya offers him a smile. "Yup!"

"Are you feeling better, are you okay?"

Eh, Nya's not feeling _fantastic_, but she can walk and speak and that's just fine by her.

"Yeah, I'm great!" Before she can stop herself, Nya bounds over and latches onto her brother in a hug. "Thanks for your help this week," she says. "Love you."

Kai's body goes stiff in her arms. She knows why, too. The two of them care about each other, sure, but normally they don't . . . they don't say it _out loud. _It's the kind of thing they're good at expressing through actions, not words. Plus, Kai's always been awkward about emotions, so they just don't get sentimental with each other (at least, not in actual spoken words). So Nya doesn't blame him for getting tense. She just wanted to say it. Just wanted him to know.

"I—love you, too," Kai manages, sounding maybe a little uncomfortable, but there's a soft sort of genuine meaning in there, too. Nya smiles.

Living on their own is hard, and sometimes it's scary, and most of the time it's unpredictable. But they have each other, and Nya makes weekly visits to Walter's house, where she talks to him about hopes and dreams and life and engineering. Walter lends her more books, which she keeps because he never asks for them back. Kai starts warming up to him, little by little, and life is good. She doesn't feel alone anymore.

oOo

Time is a funny thing. It passes like a jet, just soaring by, and you don't realize it was there until it's gone. A year passes. And another. Nya is twelve. Then she's thirteen. Kai is fifteen now, and he's more responsible and mature than she remembers him being last year. He's taller now, too. Nya's also managed to shoot up a few inches—just enough that Kai can't call her short anymore. Their little house has grown with them, accumulating more possessions and details that make it their own. Walter stops by more often, and soon, he offers to adopt Allie, the kitten that isn't so little anymore. Kai gratefully accepts this offer, but Nya's hesistant.

"I'll take good care of her," Walter insists gently. "I know you two have a lot on your hands."

After some persuading, Nya agrees, but only because she knows she'll be able to visit the cat whenever she wants. Allie has a special place in her heart and Nya takes her time saying goodbye, to which Kai says, "Nya, chill, you'll see her tomorrow."

Life adapts an acceptable pattern. Open the shop in the morning, work all afternoon, close at seven, eat dinner, visit Walter, go to bed. Sundays are blocked off for trips to the market and time to relax. Nya's finally _happy_ with her routine. Living with Kai isn't so bad after all. In fact, she prefers it to living with Liam. Kai is, like, the coolest person ever, and not just because he's built that persona for himself over the years.

Nya develops a firm respect for her older brother, a respect that wasn't there when they were kids. She can joke with him and be herself, and they can talk about anything, but he's also serious, and it's growing on her. All the financing is still largely in Kai's hands, since he won't let Nya mess with that, but he trusts her with more work now. And he'll never admit she's a better blacksmith than him, but honestly? They both know. They just don't say it.

Kai's voice deepens as he grows. He's not squeaky anymore. Nya's hair grows longer for a while again, but surprise, she likes it short, so she lets Kai cut it. He's stuck with his semi-jagged, scruffy look that Nya isn't exactly a fan of, but he likes it, so. To each their own.

Bubble. That's the word for it. The two of them live together in a perfect, opaque bubble, shielded nicely from whatever lies out there in the world. Ignacia is fine, Nya supposes. The people in town are nice enough, and the weather is never all that bad, though they _are_ going through a dry spell right now. Kai is content to live here forever. Nya knows, because he told her so.

She, uh . . . doesn't agree with him on that one. Nya likes it here, but living here forever? Oof, she doesn't know if she could do that. Ninjago is a big place, she kind of wants to explore it someday. Actually, she _plans_ to.

Because Nya has a secret.

Kai doesn't know yet, but Nya's been working on a project for the past year now, urged on by Walter and all the books he's given her. Taking inspiration from folklore and ancient history, Nya has developed a . . . well, what should she call it?

It's a robot, but it's going to be bigger than any old droid. It's gonna be so big that she'll be able to _sit in it. _So really, it's an exoskeleton. A huge, not-quite-functional-yet exoskeleton that's a major work in progress, but Nya knows _exactly_ what she wants. She's known for a while now, but she's afraid Kai will say she's crazy. That's why Walter is the only person in the world that knows about it.

On her next visit, she asks him, "Are you sure it's gonna work?" Her legs dangle off the edge of the porch swing. "It's taking for_ever_."

Walter takes a sip from his glass of lemonade, looking out over his crops with a content sigh. "Good things take time," he says. "Rome wasn't built in a day."

Nya isn't sure where Rome is, but the words make sense. She's just—well, there's a lot of self doubt she's been harboring. She's scared it's taking forever because she's not cut out for a project like this.

"I'm thirteen," Nya says.

"And? What about it?"

Nya leans back, dejectedly. "I dunno. I'm just sc—I mean, I'm just _worried _I won't be able to finish it. What if it's too hard? What if I have to give up?"

Walter is silent as he processes that. Then, "Your parents knew you'd do big things one day, kid. They told me themselves. And I—well I think if there's anyone who can get this thing built, it's you."

The words swell inside Nya's chest. She tries to hide her smile and fails.

"Thanks."

"Anytime. No matter what anyone tells you, you never give up, understand? You're doing a good thing. Get what you want, take no shit."

"Take no shit," Nya repeats, nodding to herself. Ha, Kai would kill her for using words like that, but Walter lets her say them. He's taken an oath to keep it between just them.

Allie mews from the ground and Nya picks her up, stroking the rust-colored fur with one hand. It's weird not having her around the house anymore, but Walter seems to enjoy the company, so Nya will allow it.

She enjoys that night with Walter, talking softly while they swing back and forth, watching the sun slip below the horizon. Ignacia has the best sunsets, that's what Walter always says. He's right. The sky looks prettier every night, with its warm oranges and brilliant purples. Makes her feel like melted gold has been streaked across the sky.

When Nya was a kid, there was always that missing piece, that empty spot inside her. When she's with Walter, she doesn't feel it. Sometimes Kai joins them for the sunsets, and when they're all sitting there together, Kai's arm around her shoulders and Allie curled up in her lap . . . Nya feels complete. No more holes or hollowness or confusion.

Just warm happiness and fulfillment she's learned to look forward to on nights like these.

After all those years of longing for what she couldn't have, Nya can't express how amazing it is to _have that. _To have something constant, something she can come back to when things get hard. She's lucky to have an adult in her life that doesn't throw things or slam doors or break plates. Walter is just _Walter_.

A genuine, radiant presence that gives her a home and a purpose. He believes in her and talks about her parents. His eyes shine when he looks at her, like she's making him proud somehow. Nya doesn't understand it, but she never wants it to stop.

In the coming weeks, Walter lets Nya drive his truck around a little, and turns out, driving is _fun _and Nya _loves it. _When Kai finds out about this, he nearly has an aneurism on the spot, but then Walter asks if Kai wants to drive, too, and Kai can't say no. Nya finds this amusing.

By the end of that week, Nya and Kai can both drive pretty decently, though they don't know the rules of the road yet. Walter tells them it's a life skill, they can drive with him anytime.

Kai likes Walter much more after that.

Nya keeps working on her samurai suit, stealing scrap metal from Kai and obtaining nuts and bolts from Walter.

So, yeah, stuff is going pretty swell. Nya hops from one day to the next, learning new skills whenever she can, just to pass the time. Walter teaches her how to hotwire and make pancakes. She furthers in writing, learns a lot of math and decides she likes science, too. Sometimes she watches videos on his TV about gymnasts, and soon she's learning to backflip and somersault. Granted, she's not very good at it, at first, but she gets better. Walter watches her cartwheel around his backyard.

"Watch your form!" he chides lightly, chuckling. Nya tosses him a breathless thumbs-up.

Mornings and afternoons are for the business, nights are for having fun. Kai and Nya adjust to this routine rather readily. The two of them grow closer than they'd been as kids, now that they're teenagers and can relate on more levels. Kai's also more protective than he used to be, but Nya assumes it's just because he's older and feels responsible for her. In a way, she feels like it should be the other way around, since her brother isn't the _brightest bulb in the shed_, if you catch her drift.

They look out for each other, that's all. When you grow up with only one person you can trust in the world, you tend to stick close to their side at all times. And you don't want anything to happen to them, because it if did, you'd be alone and without the person you love the most. Nya understands this, so she doesn't complain much when Kai goes all parental on her.

Unless he's being downright unreasonable, in which case she doesn't hesitate to knock some sense into him, don't worry.

Their bubble is a pretty dang good place to be, right about now. Nya can't complain, anyway. She's surrounded by people that care about her, and being older makes the business thing so much easier. People definitely aren't judging them as much. Nya's a teenager now, she's _mature._

Speaking of which, she doesn't sleep in Kai's room anymore. She's grown comfortable being alone in her own room, knowing no angry men are going to break down the door and strangle her in her sleep.

Okay, she's had a few particularly scarring nightmares, and Kai's had to talk her down from a lot of emotional ledges, but besides that, she's fine! She even installs a secret compartment in the forge, accessible by twisting Kai's anvil _just _right. She stores all her personal weapons in the compartment, and _no_, Kai doesn't know about it because he'd flip.

(Not literally, of course, since he's not very good at gymnastics.)

Anyway. Nya's happy, that's all that matters. She has Kai and Walter and Allie. Orange sunsets, fluffy pancakes, wooden porch swings. What else could she want right now? Nothing, that's what.

So Nya and Kai continue on, sleeping peacefully every night, blissfully oblivious to the impending dangers that lay in the distant future.

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**A/N: fOreShaDowiNg! **


	5. Things Go Wrong Again Very Rapidly

**A/N: sorry for the lack of updates, here's a chapter for ya. and i just wanna say: i'm sorry for this chapter! like, really sorry. i didn't wanna do it. but for the sake of Plot, i just - i just had to, okay?!**

**for all you emotional folks out there, brace yourselves. this one tugs on the heartstrings a little :/**

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Nya is so proud of herself. Recently, she'd found a beautifully intricate bracelet, set with a smooth, red stone. It had been sitting in the back of a drawer in her mom's old desk. Kai's eyes light up when he sees it.

"I remember that," he says. "Mom never took it off. She was always wearing it."

This, of course, means Nya is going to keep it for the rest of her life. She likes the bracelet a lot and makes sure to give it the least dusty spot on her dresser, right next to a worn family photo that was taken before Nya can remember.

It's nice to have it. A piece of the past.

Things at the shop get busy for a while, and business boosts a ton. This is great! But it also means Nya doesn't visit Walter for three whole days, and normally that wouldn't be awful, but . . .

She's been getting a bad feeling, recently. Explanations be darned, Nya just knows something isn't right and it's been twisting her stomach all night. She needs to check. She needs to make sure everything's okay (which it probably is, but Nya can't be sure). Maybe it's something in the air, but Nya has a dark mist hanging over her mind, and that can only mean something bad.

So, one morning, Nya breaks their carefully constructed routine and catches Kai in the forge.

"Hey, I'm gonna head down to Walter's for a bit," she says, already passing him and stepping outside. Kai glances at her.

"Okay."

Then, evidently, his brain catches up to what she said.

"Hey, wait!" he says, running to stop her. "Already? It's early."

Nya shrugs, sticking her hands in her jean pockets. "I know, I just remembered I left my book there the other day. I'm gonna go grab it."

Kai looks torn, glancing between her and the winding road that leads down into the farmland. His protective instincts battle his "cool brother" façade for a moment, and Nya crosses her fingers.

_Please say yes please say yes please say yes—_

Finally Kai sighs, frowning. "Fine. But be quick, okay?"

Nya bounces once on her heels and whaps Kai on the shoulder. "Thanks, bro." She spins around right away, trotting down the road at a speed she hopes isn't suspicious. Kai's eyes follow her until her head disappears over the hill.

A strange sense of urgency washes over her as she runs, sending goosebumps up her arms. Something's wrong, she _knows it. _Call her crazy, go right ahead, but there's just a fragile stillness in the air that shouldn't be there. An uneasiness lingers over the whole road, surrounding her as she picks up the pace.

Nya didn't know she could run this much at once, she's never tried it. But she's doing fine, sprinting along the side of the road near the marshes, shoes kicking up bits of dirt and pebbles as she goes. All the way, there's a voice in her head, telling her she needs to go even faster.

_Faster, faster, you're not fast enough-_

Just before she reaches Walter's property, she catches sight of a tiny orange blob in his yard. She skids to a halt when she realizes it's Allie. Why is Allie outside? Nya raised her as an indoor cat.

Nya races forward, scooping up the cat in her arms.

"What're you doing?" she asks softly. "Something wrong, girl?"

Of course Allie can't really answer her, but Nya wishes now more than ever that she could.

Walter isn't outside. In fact, his front door is slightly ajar, which is probably how Allie escaped from the house. A sick feeling settles in Nya's stomach. She swallows.

Still holding Allie, because she's not going in there alone, Nya cautiously approaches the porch steps, glancing around with nervous eyes. No noise is coming from inside. The TV's not on. The TV is _always _on, _why isn't it on—_

"Breathe, Nya," she tells herself, but it doesn't do much good. Her heart pounds even harder than before. At this rate, it's bound to leap right out of her throat at the slightest sound-

The porch steps creak under her weight and Nya winces.

_Stay cool, stay calm, you're fine, everything's fine—_

There is, of course, the possibility that Walter has chosen to sleep in today, which Nya wouldn't know much about, since she visits him mostly at night. But if he's sleeping, why is the door open? The cat can't open doors. Allie is smart, but not _velociraptor _smart.

Nya creeps up to the door, peeking in with one side of her face. The paneled entryway is dim, only lit by the light from outside, and there's muddy splotches on the floor. Upon a closer look, she realizes they're footprints. She freezes.

Nya takes a moment to reevaluate her options here. She could run back home and get Kai, but he'd make her stay home and then she wouldn't know what's happening. The police might not be reachable from way out here, they might not make it in time . . .

Town is miles away . . .

And she's a thirteen year old girl, standing here with a cat.

_Take no shit_, Nya reminds herself firmly. She's strong, she's not scared, she can handle this.

Nya hauls Allie over to the porch swing and deposits her there, whispering a strict, "_Stay_." The cat curls up and watches Nya with curious eyes, blinking sleepily. Nya glances over the porch one more time, just to make sure nothing is amiss, then steps quietly over to the entrance.

Still no noise from inside the house. Maybe that's a good sign! Maybe Walter is just . . . out for a walk. Or maybe he went to town early today. The innocent possibilities are endless, but Nya isn't feeling any better about this. So she swallows once and pushes the door open all the way, peering into the dark entryway. She crouches down to look at the footprints again.

The mud is . . . not dry yet.

Nya realizes this is much too similar to the climax of a horror movie, and she should really get out of here and find someone more qualified to investigate. But if it all turns out to be nothing, Nya doesn't want to look stupid. She doesn't want to be the silly little girl that cried wolf. It's fine, she can do it herself.

Casting _one_ last glance at the countryside, Nya slips inside the house and closes the door behind her—but not all the way, _duh_, she knows all the dumb mistakes people make in horror movies. She steps lightly, carefully, almost fearfully, unconsciously holding her breath so the only sound is the whirring of a fan on the ceiling. The living room looks oddly abandoned, lacking its usual vibrancy. Her designated pile of books from a few days ago is still where she left it, next to the empty sofa.

Nya's heart beats faster. Usually the kitchen is full of life, the smell of home, a burning stove. But now it's as dark as everything else, dim morning light filtering in through the window above the sink. It's spooky, Nya thinks. This isn't right. This isn't right at _all. _

As she reaches the staircase, an abrupt clattering rings out from upstairs and Nya stops cold. She's pretty sure she forgets how to breathe for a solid four seconds, not that she's _scared _because—

Screw that, Nya is _terrified. _

But—it's too late to turn back now. She's already on the bottom step, she's already walking up the stairs because Nya is _crazy _and she's probably going to get herself _killed_—

More clattering. A thud. A muffled voice. Nya squeezes her eyes shut for half a moment, then continues up the staircase, stepping in the corners so the steps don't squeak. The noise gets louder as she climbs—or _crawls_, that's probably a better word for it. Nya wonders what's possessing her to keep going. The knot in her stomach pulls tighter with every little step, her hands shaking even as she tries to calm them.

At the top of the staircase, Nya pauses. In the past few years, she's never been up here. It's not that Walter didn't allow it, but she's never had any desire to explore the upstairs. She knows there's a bedroom up here, and a bathroom, but that's it. It's uncharted territory. Foreign land. _Mysterious._

And from what she can tell, there's someone up here with her.

Wincing, Nya pokes her head over the banister and glances around. A hallway and three doors. One of the doors is open. And the muddy footprints lead straight into _that room_.

The horror movie vibe increases dramatically.

Again, Nya swallows down the terror rising in her throat and emerges from the staircase, standing out in the hallway, exposed and obvious to anyone else that may be up here. But Nya is confident that this isn't a big deal, probably. She's overthinking it. Walter is in his room, making some noise, and she's just completely overreacting—

"Walter?" she asks. It should've been quiet, but it echoes across the empty hallway—and now that Nya's paying attention, she notices that it's _not _empty at all. In fact, everything has been tipped over, broken or messed up. Books are strewn over the floor, along with a wooden chair and a potted plant that's been knocked off a shelf.

In a split second decision, Nya grabs the pot and shakes the dirt off of it. If someone _is _in here, she wants a weapon. Always be able to defend yourself, that's what Kai taught her.

There's silence. No one answers her call, but the noise has ceased altogether. An eerie hush falls over the house and Nya's pulse kicks into overdrive. Her chest rises and falls rapidly to match the pace of her heartbeat, which has ditched healthy levels a long time ago. She can't breathe—

If she breathes, they'll hear her—

Walter is definitely not here—

Nya decides she's done with this freaking haunted house. Kai can deal with this. Or the _police. _And the devastation she's feeling at the absence of Walter is turning her vision red, there's a fiery sort of anxiety that's biting at her. She edges back to the staircase, eyes never leaving the open doorway, because she's always hated jump-scares—

She blinks once. Only once. But when she opens her eyes again after that split second, there's a face staring back at her, white and skeletal, eyes glowing a deep red—

Nya screams. The creature growls. The pot crashes to the floor as all caution is thrown right out the window and Nya tears down the steps at the speed of light, slipping and tumbling down the last few. She bolts through the entryway, seeing daylight, heart leaping in her chest—

Something grabs her leg and Nya yelps, falling flat on her stomach. The creature is unlike anything she's ever seen, it's tall and made out of bones, just like a skeleton, but—but it's far more horrifying than any regular skeleton she's seen in books or movies. This one is _huge_, with broad shoulders and some type of oriental armor plastered across its front—

Nya doesn't spend more than a second looking at it. She just screams some more and kicks sharply up, knocking the skeleton right below the bony jaw. It makes a grunting sound and crashes into the wall, letting her go. Panting, heart in her throat, Nya scrambles up off the floor and dashes right out the door, snatching up Allie and making a break for the road. She runs faster than before, faster than _ever._

Serene countryside passes in a blur, her feet flying across the pavement so fast that she barely feels the ground underneath her. Nya tosses a fleeting look behind her, only to see the skeletal monster throw the house's door open and fix its glowing eyes on _her. _

She doesn't wait to see if it follows. Nya's over the hill and out of the property in seconds, just leaving a cloud of dust and pebbles in her wake.

"Kai! _Kai_!" she shrieks, chest heaving from the energy she's spending on running so fast. "_KAI!_"

He meets her halfway, which is impressive, because he must've heard Nya from all the way down the road. But Nya doesn't stop. She just zooms right past him, grabbing his arm on the way and dragging him along. He has no choice but to follow, yelling a startled, "_Hey_—!"

Nya's crying, even though she hopes Kai can't tell. A dark, looming fear has attached itself to her, whispering in her ear that this is far more serious than she wants to believe. Walter—she can't—what if—what if she was too—

Too _late_—

Nya chokes on a sob and Kai hears _that_. He gives her a look, but she can't return the gesture. She needs to keep going, she needs to get _home—_

Four Weapons is just ahead. The siblings skid through the door and Nya slams it shut behind them.

"_Close the shop_," Nya hollers, taking off to bang the windows shut and lock the door. Kai spins around as she circles the house.

"Nya, what _happened_, what—"

"_JUST DO IT!_"

Kai doesn't hesitate anymore. He rushes into the forge and locks everything up until Nya feels like the house is secure. She leaves him in the living room and darts to her own room, collapsing onto her bed in a trembling heap. No amount of blankets can fix this. Kai can't fix this. _Nya _can't fix this and she's furious with herself.

"Should've gone yesterday," she whispers to herself through a fresh wave of angry tears. This is her fault, Walter might be _gone _and it's because _she _waited too long—

She knows what happened. Nya's not a little kid anymore, she knows what death is. She knows it's real and happens all the time.

And she knows that scary skeleton warriors don't intrude in someone's house for no reason and then leave the resident alive. Not from what she saw. Not from what she _heard. _It must've been looking for something, something in Walter's house, and when he tried to defend himself-

Her heart, which has held on alright until now, promptly shatters into an infinite amount of tiny pieces. She lets it.

Nya dissolves into the kind of crying that isn't so much _crying _as it is _screaming. _The sobs come fast and sharp, sometimes in hiccups, sometimes in rage-filled wails that she does a lousy job of hiding. Kai's there, suddenly. To his credit, he doesn't ask any questions yet. He knows better. Kai just sits next to her on the bed and reaches for her hand.

She latches on and holds tight.

* * *

Later that night, when Nya's eyes are red and her throat hurts from crying, she tells Kai what happened. Everything from the bad feeling to the creature chasing her down the stairs. His eyes widen as she goes. Sometimes he tries to speak but doesn't get any words out. Nya doesn't blame him, really. It's a miracle _she's_ able to talk.

He hugs her afterward and says something to her, probably, "I'm glad you're okay," but Nya doesn't really hear it. The only thing she hears is Walter's gentle voice, telling her he's proud of her. Saying he believes in her.

Nya sinks lower. He believed in her, but when it mattered, she couldn't—she wasn't—

Kai must be going through his own internal process right now, but he sticks close to Nya anyway, keeping up light conversation and trying to distract her from what she knows will never change.

That night it rains. Like, _really _rains. It's a torrential _downpour_, heavier and lasting longer than any storm they've gotten in months, but there's no thunder. No lightning, either. Just hours of pelting droplets, pattering against the roof so loudly that Nya can't sleep. So she listens to the rain, wishing it could wash away all the evil in the world.

* * *

A week goes by. Walter doesn't walk up to their house with a stack of books or any new tools for Nya to try. Nya lapses into denial, sitting by the window at all hours, watching for someone—_anyone_—to approach the house. A few times, she fools herself into believing it's really only been a couple days. This method doesn't work for very long, though.

Kai has to coax her away from the window every night, usually saying something like, "C'mon, Nya, you need to sleep."

"What if he comes back?" she says. Does she mean Walter or the skeleton? It's unclear.

As it often does, the grief lessens over time and by the next week, Nya is mostly herself again. The knowledge never leaves her, but she sees Kai struggling to uphold the shop on his own, and she can't leave him like that. So, though she realizes it's probably unhealthy, Nya takes the depression and shoves it under a metaphorical rug. She'll deal with it later.

At town that week, Nya takes Allie in her bag, knowing what she has to do. They can't afford to keep a cat in the house anymore, what with food expenses and other pet care. Allie needs a new home, and Nya knows just the person (if she can find him, that is).

While Kai is busy haggling over prices with an old woman (something he's not very good at), Nya wanders away and starts roaming through the crowds, keeping an eye out for one boy in particular. It's been a while since she's seen him, but it wasn't _that_ long ago. Most people from town come to the market every week, he's gotta be here. He's gotta live in Jamanakai Village. He probably looks the same, just taller and—

There he is. That _has_ to be him. His face is still exactly the same, and he's got the same strawberry blond hair, though it's longer than Nya remembers. He's leaning casually against a wall with two other boys, their parents talking in a similar huddle nearby. Oh, yikes. Nya's not great at . . . social stuff. Talking to other teenagers is scary. Will she be interrupting? She doesn't want to be rude . . .

Allie pokes her head out of Nya's backpack, mewing. Ugh, who is Nya kidding, she's gotta do this.

"Aiden?" she says, inching up to the group. His head turns to her. Everyone stops talking.

They're all _looking at her. _

Nya clears her throat, shifting the bag's strap around her shoulder. "Uhm—hi. I'm Nya. You probably don't remember me. From—from that time in the alley—and the cat . . . ?"

Aiden frowns for a moment, looking extremely confused, and Nya is two seconds away from running the other direction. But then something like recognition dawns in his expression and he gives a burst of appreciative laughter.

"Oh my god, you're the girl that hit Cam Meyers in the head with a board!"

The other two boys' mouths drop open as their gazes turn impressed. One of them stutters out a, "Wait, seriously?"

Aiden grins at her. "Man, that was great. Haven't seen you in, what, three years now?"

"Something like that."

"Whoa. You're taller now. Where've you been, what's up?"

Nya thinks back to the events of the past week. "Uh, ya know. Nothin' much." Before the conversation can get awkward, Nya pulls the bag off her shoulder and holds it out. "I actually—I had a favor to ask."

Aiden's still smiling, but a little more subdued now. "Okay . . . ?"

Promptly, Allie's head peeks out again, and she lays her eyes on Aiden. Nya lifts her out of the bag and holds Allie in both arms.

"Well, uh . . . that kitten, from the alley? I . . . kinda kept her?"

Aiden's eyes widen as he gapes at the cat. Something is shifting in his expression, like he's trying not to burst out crying in front of everyone.

"You—this is her?"

"Yeah. And uh, well, we can't really . . . take care of her anymore. So I was wondering . . . would you wanna, like, adopt her?" Hastily, Nya adds, "For free, duh, I don't want, like, money or anything, I just—I want her to have a good home."

Aiden meets her eyes, appearing slightly shocked but . . . not entirely opposed to the idea. Then he surprises Nya and gently takes Allie from her arms. The cat adapts easily, placing an orange paw right on Aiden's chest. He cracks a smile.

"I . . . wow._ Thank_ you. Thanks for, like, remembering me and—and for everything."

Relieved, Nya nods. "Of course! Thanks for not being a jerk."

She's running out of casual things to say, so Nya turns around to leave, seeing as her job is officially accomplished. But Aiden calls out her name and, "Hey, wait!"

Nya turns back. "Yeah?"

The corner of Aiden's mouth quirks up quickly in a little half-smile. "I'll—see you around?"

Her heart does a little jumpy thing. "Um. Yeah! Yeah. See you around."

And she leaves feeling slightly better than before. She doesn't even think about Walter for the rest of the day. The grief disappears momentarily.

But it still sits there, deep in her stomach, popping up when it's least convenient, like late at night, when she's alone in the dark. She sees faces of angry skeletons and hears Walter's voice—in the nightmares, he's never kind. He's angry and harsh, telling her she—

She _failed. _

Nya grows _angry_ with the skeleton monster, whatever the heck it was. She develops a festering, boiling hatred for it. And somewhere in there, a hatred for _herself _grows, too. She failed. She wasn't fast enough. Not strong enough. Not enough, period.

She still sees the skeleton's face in her mind's eye. So, naturally, Nya wants to learn more about it. With Kai hovering next to her, Nya soon returns to Walter's house, which has grown cold and lifeless over the weeks. They're hesitant to enter, but this time it's truly empty. Nya finds what she's looking for and hastily emerges with a heavy, leather-bound book, the cover adorned with the image of what looks like a demonic spider.

Not exactly reassuring, but she knows what's in the book. Walter used to tell her to stay away from that one, it's full of dark things that she shouldn't worry about.

Well. Now seems like a pretty decent time to worry about them.

_Skulkin. _That's what they're _called_, but Nya can't decide what the creatures _are_. The book has a single picture, hand-drawn. The image isn't half as scary as the real thing, and Nya slams the book shut frustratedly. Where'd the skeleton monster _come _from, anyway? The sewer? The circus? And more importantly, where is it now?

Kai doesn't like to talk about it. Everytime Nya tries to discuss the Skulkin, Kai gets nervous and his eyes adopt a worried look. He has enough to think about, so Nya stops bringing it up. But she's still curious, and still _mad_. No, she's _more _than mad. She's downright _enraged—_if she ever gets the chance—she'll show that freaky Skulkin _just _how upset she is.

Oddly enough, Nya doesn't have to wait that long.

It starts as a pretty average morning. Well—average by Nya's standards, anyways. She wakes up to the sound of Kai clanking around in the forge, restocking for the day. As she yawns, rolling out of bed and trying to fix her hair into some semblance of order, she hears a loud crash and an even louder curse from Kai.

Nya rolls her eyes. He _knows _he's not skilled in the whole _making swords _area, he should've just waited for her to wake up. She should probably go help him out before he burns the whole house down. Fire has a tendency to get out of control when Kai's around.

Shuffling across the hall, Nya drags a hand over her face. _Ugh. _She's just _tired _and she wishes time would stop for a day. She wishes she could have just _one day _to relax, not worry about money or Walter or the future or—or _anything. _

But that's not possible, is it? She's gotta keep going, for Kai, if not for herself. They need each other. Nya knows that much.

When she reaches the forge, Kai is entirely focused on his latest creation, hammering away as morning sunlight streams through the open storefront. It's a nice temperature today, but the sky is blurred with thick, black clouds in the distance. Huh. Weird. Maybe they're due for another storm.

"Morning," Nya greets, blinking sleep from her eyes.

Kai glances at her briefly. "Oh, hey. Came to watch the master at work, huh?"

Nya rolls her eyes for the second time that morning. "Right. I'm surprised you're up this early."

"Ah, you know. Early worm gets the dirt, or—however that saying goes."

"That's exactly how it goes," Nya teases, somehow keeping a straight face. Kai laughs and reaches out to ruffle her hair as she passes.

"Aw _c'mon_, I just brushed it," she exclaims, squirming away indignantly. "No respect in this house."

Yeah, she can act irritated all she wants, but Nya knows Kai is trying to help. Serious situations reveal parts of him she never knew existed. Sometimes he handles things with an odd sort of tenderness, and sometimes he copes with humor. Nya understands. And she'd be thoroughly lost without him, so she's grateful that he's trying, even if its effect is only subpar.

"How'd you sleep?" Kai asks. His tone is casual, but Nya hears the tinge of concern that's behind the words.

"I dunno. Fine, I guess." A lie.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." A pause. Nya hangs her head. "Okay, maybe a little _less _than fine."

Kai's expression softens a bit and he sighs deeply, setting the hammer down so it rests on the anvil. Then his eyes light up again.

"Well, hey. Why don't you come over and watch. You could learn a thing or two." His sarcasm is pathetic, but refreshing. Nya shakes her head amusedly and steps over to stand closer, watching with exaggerated interest.

"Observe," Kai instructs, holding the sword over the burning coals. He hammers it again, dramatically beginning his demonstration. "To forge the perfect weapon, you first need the right metal and plenty of heat."

He sticks the sword in a bucket of water and Nya winces at the sizzle. Is it supposed to sizzle? Probably not. _Her_ swords never do that. You're supposed to wait for the sword to cool on its own for a while. But she keeps that to herself.

"Cool it off. Aaaaand . . . presto!" Kai whips the sword out. His eyes go wide and he groans. The blade is mangled and twisted beyond belief, bent in a way only Kai could ever manage. Nya really tries _not _to laugh, but a giggle slips out anyway, against her better judgement.

Nya probably needs to say something now, because Kai looks like he wants to toss the sword right through the window

"You made it too quickly, Kai," she says, sobering up. "Be patient." Then she thinks of something Walter told her, a few months ago, during a particularly rough night working on the samurai suit.

She says, "If Father was still here, he'd say—"

Groaning, Kai cuts her off. He's heard the saying, too. "I know—'No matter how much fire you have, experience isn't something you learn overnight.' That may work for you, Nya, but I'm gonna be a better blacksmith than Dad _ever _was."

Nya would really love to argue that point—and she almost does, but Kai's latest "sword" kinda debunks his statement on its own. She has no doubt he'll improve in time, but right now . . . he has a long way to go, let's just leave it at that.

The morning comes alive with the distant chirping of crickets and sparrows, warm autumn sunshine weaving its way through red and orange leaves. Fall in Ignacia is always the prettiest season, Nya thinks. It'd be a perfect morning, if not for the looming gray clouds in the distance.

But little do the siblings know, a supposed storm isn't the only thing on the way.

* * *

**A/N: *pokes head in* please don't come at me to avenge Walter, i promise it's for Plot! trust me on this one. **

**anyway! we're about to transition into the pilot episodes and stuff that is canon, but after that, it'll drop into AU again. i'm trying to focus on Nya moments that we didn't see in the show ;) fixing holes in the storyline and all that. **

**review, share with your friends, share with your mom, share with your siblings! have a good one, folks!**


	6. Not in Ninjago Anymore

**A/N: shifting gears for a second here while we revisit some of the canon story. again: trying not to spend too much time in canon, since we've been there, watched that.**

**tried to spice it up a bit! and of course Nya's experience in the Underworld is AU. i had to write about it, no one ever talks about the fact that this thirteen year old ****_child_**** was trapped in the Ninjago equivalent of ****_hell_**** for an extended period of time! hopefully i did it justice.**

**anyways! thanks for all your reviews, i love reading them :)**

* * *

Before Nya gets the chance to say anything else, a voice comes from behind her.

"Hmm. Your metal is loud and heavy. Useful to slow one down. Useless in the art of stealth. All tools for a samurai, but nothing for a ninja?"

Nya whirls around, and her first thought is _Yay, a customer! _Her second thought is more along the lines of _Hey, wait a second. _

It's an old man—older than anyone she's ever encountered before. He's bent a little, hands clasped in front of him as the sun reflects off his whiter-than-white robes. An ancient-looking straw hat sits atop his head, shadowing his face enough that she can't get a good look at him. What _really _grabs her attention is the _beard_, because _whoa. _It's so long that it's almost brushing the ground. Nya tries not to stare. If they're lucky, this guy will buy something, so she's not gonna discourage that from happening—

Kai gives the guy a look. "Ninja? Ha. You're a long way from finding a ninja in these parts, old man."

Well. There goes courtesy.

Kai continues, sounding defensive. "And the shop is called _Four Weapons_, not _For Browsing. _Either buy something or go peddle your insults somewhere else."

Appalled, Nya drives her elbow into Kai's ribcage, letting him know she's not happy with him. Because _hello_, you can't just be rude to the elderly like that, Nya's not a monster.

The old man _hmph_s disdainfully. "Too bad. Thought I'd find something special here."

Before they can lose a potentially valuable customer, Nya swiftly motions for Kai to salvage the situation. She turns away then, eyes catching the approaching storm clouds again. Man, they are _dark_. Hopefully the old guy gets to shelter before the rain hits . . .

Kai's voice starts, "If it's something special you're looking for, lemme sh—" Then he cuts out. Nya is only vaguely aware of his pause.

"What is it?" she asks absently. Is that thunder she hears?

Kai mumbles, "He was just—forget it."

If she's being honest, Nya's _already _forgotten it, because these clouds are rolling in way faster than any normal thunderstorm. She definitely hears a distant rumbling, though, getting closer by the second. No lightning yet. Weird.

Nya resumes the day's work, only slightly bitter about Kai driving away another customer with his abrasive attitude. There's work to do and she hasn't even eaten breakfast yet, not that she even _wants _pancakes, because it just reminds her of—

Abruptly, a chorus of terrified screams rings out over the hill, coming from down the road where the farmland is. Kai and Nya's heads whip up at the blood-chilling noise. They barely have time to share a petrified glance before a roar of engines bursts over the hilltop and five—maybe _six_—monstrous vehicles are upon them, circling the shop at a dizzying pace. One vehicle screeches to a halt in front.

"What are they?" Nya asks. She can't tell from this distance—but she thinks—

Kai has already donned a helmet and chest plate, both of which were made by Nya, but if he's preparing for the defensive . . . he's expecting something _off_ensive.

"I dunno. Stay here," Kai tells her, grabbing a sword from under the counter and edging out into the yard. Her heart skips a beat as she watches him leave.

_Be safe be safe be safe—_

The sky has turned a murky dark purple and there are still vehicles circling the house. A few have stopped now, and their occupants finally reveal themselves to be exactly what Nya was imagining—and dreading.

It's the Skulkin. There are _so many. _Nya backs a little ways into the shop, battling with what emotion she wants to feel. A lot of fear is gripping her right now, to be honest, because those glowing eyes will be haunting her dreams for years to come. But then underneath the fear, there's anger. A hot, boiling _fury _that takes the fear and crushes it. What are the _Skulkin _doing _here_?

Nya doesn't care what Kai told her, she's not _staying here. _Not when these _monsters _were the ones that _murdered—_

She can't bring herself to finish that thought, but Nya searches quickly for a weapon, eyes landing on a bamboo staff in the corner. Not ideal, but she's on limited time here, it'll have to work. She snags it on her way out the back door, tossing a glance out the window to see how Kai's doing. Things seem to be going fine on his part, if his exaggerated fighting noises are anything to go off of.

Nya sneaks out the back door and approaches two skeletons from behind. There's only a moment of hesitation—a moment that she remembers they're _monsters _and _freaky_—but then she shoves the feeling down and knocks the two creatures over in seconds. Man, she doesn't know her own strength.

The skeletons are circling around her brother, so Nya shoves her way over and joins him. He tosses her a dismayed glance.

"I thought I told you to stay back!"

Yeah, and she's almost wishing she would've. Nya _hates _the Skulkin, they're creepy and oddly shaped and _loud_—they make awful squealing noises and rattle when they walk—it's downright horrific. But she wasn't about to let Kai get pummeled out here alone.

"And what?" she asks smugly. "Let you have all the fun?"

It's not fun, it's not fun at all, but she can't look scared in front of Kai. She doesn't want a lecture about it later. About how she should've just stayed inside if she was gonna be a _chicken_. Plus—Nya has a lot of pent-up aggression that's been building up for a while now, so.

She and Kai get separated by the hoard of skeletons that swarms around them, but Nya knows he can handle himself. The fear starts to leave her. This is like one big therapy session, and she's allowed to hit and kick things. The skeletons glare and jeer at her, swinging hits with their bony hands, trying to find a weak spot in her defenses. But Walter taught her most of these moves, and they _work. _

She's caught up with a particularly persistent skeleton, holding him off with all the strength left in her arms (_ew_, it's _touching her_) when Nya catches a glint of golden light in the corner of her eye. Promptly, the old rickety water tower that's always been behind their house comes crashing down in an explosion of wood and dust. Nya and her opponent pause for a second to stare wide-eyed at the wreckage.

Hopefully Kai didn't have anything to do with that . . . but Nya isn't sure. She ditches the skeleton there and bolts to where she thinks Kai is, but she can't see him. There are more Skulkin now, crowding in from every side, and Nya is backed into a metaphorical corner. Her fingers grip the staff a little tighter as she prepares for the worst—

Or, what she _thinks _is going to be the worst.

If you asked Nya what had happened next, she wouldn't have been able to provide very clear details. She remembers seeing the old man, white robes standing out against the wood of her house. She remembers someone saying "Lord Garmadon", and she can even remember finally picking out Kai in the crowd. His expression is terrified, mouth open like he's about to say something.

Then there's something _large _and _cold _and _skeletal _clasped around her body and the ground just _disappears _from under her feet, the shop growing smaller as she's yanked violently backwards—

Nya can't help the panicked scream that escapes her, and Kai's frantic, "Nya!" echoes across the road. At some point, the staff falls to the ground, forgotten as Nya squeezes her eyes shut to keep herself from feeling dizzy—

She slams back into something solid—

What feels like fingers is still keeping her there, like a suffocating prison barely big enough to breathe in—

Nya opens her eyes and wishes she hadn't. The whole world is tilted on its side and she's curled up in a fear-induced ball, hands on her head out of reflex. Everything underneath her heaves a mighty rumble and suddenly Nya thinks she knows what's happening and—

_Oh HECK NO—_

As the vehicle takes off at a strictly inhuman speed, Nya grabs onto the claw hand around her and holds on for dear life, feeling it shake and bump along the cobblestone road. The car picks up speed faster than anything Nya's ever experienced, and soon they're practically _flying_, zooming so rapidly that Nya's hair is whipping painfully against her face. She's too shocked to do anything but hold on, not trusting that ugly claw to keep her from falling off the vehicle and smacking the ground.

_What's happening where's Kai where is this thing going why am I here—_

The thoughts flash through her head rapid-fire. Nya's eyes are closed, so she doesn't see anything happen, but she feels a sudden shift in the air—like someone just dunked her in a bucket of cold water. She cracks one eye open and almost has a heart attack on the spot, because—

Because she's _not in Ninjago anymore—_

There's just swirling purple and black, thick smoke churning above her, horrible noises, screeching, clawing, growling—

The vehicle jerks to an abrupt halt and Nya knows it's a miracle she didn't get whiplash from that alone. There's silence. Now that she's not moving anymore and can think properly, the events start to catch up to her and Nya replays it in her head. Everything is still blurry, it happened so fast—

Holy _heck_, she's been _kidnapped._

So—wait, now what? What should she do, she's never been _kidnapped _before, there has to be some kind of action she should be taking right now. None of the books she's read prepared her for this, why does she know _nothing_, why is there a _skeleton _walking towards her—

The claw hand snaps open, and Nya, a victim of gravity, drops to the ground with a very concerning _thud. _

"Ow," she manages, pushing herself up on one elbow. Ohhh _ow_, something has to be broken, she definitely just hit her arm at a weird angle. The ground is solid rock, jagged and uneven, reminding her of the cliff back at home—

_Home._

How far from home is she? In fact, Nya would be content to just know _where she is_, because the darkness and unfamiliar cave-like surroundings are _not _something that exists in Ignacia, she knows that much.

She's still on the ground, but as she's trying to stand, a pair of spiked boots appears right in front of her. Nya looks up. A _freaking Skulkin _is standing _right there—_

Two hands grab the back of her shirt and yank her upright, and before Nya can process that a skeleton is _holding her_, a shadow stirs along the wall. That's . . . mildly alarming. She wants to ask where she is and _why she's here _and what the heck did she ever do to them—but can they talk? Can _she _talk? Feels like her tongue is plastered to the roof of her mouth.

The hands start dragging her backwards, tugging until she's forced to take steps, but she's facing the wrong way, where is she _going—_

Nya has two options here. She can be a scared little _chicken _and follow along, or she can remember that she's _angry _right now.

Nya decides to be angry.

She reaches behind and grips the skeletal arms with surprising strength, and the Skulkin cries out.

"Hey!" it says. Nya almost screams because she wasn't aware they could speak. But—_hey_, they can talk! She can _communicate. _

But first Nya tries to move away from her invisible captor, and in doing so, there's a shocking _pop! _and something rips away in her grasp.

No one is holding on anymore so Nya whips around and—

And she's holding—

Oh _FIRST SPINJITZU MASTER_, there's an _arm _in her hand, she's _holding an arm_—!

Now Nya _does _scream, and she tosses the bone-arm to the ground, leaping backwards as she wipes her hand on her pants to get the creepy _skeleton germs off. _

"Ew, ew, _ew_, that's _disgusting_—" Nya says, backing up until she's fairly sure she's hidden. The skeleton isn't watching her—he's too busy picking up the arm and clicking it right back into place, grumbling frustratedly.

Shadows line the sides of the cavern and Nya sticks to them, keeping one eye on the skeleton as she slowly makes her way backwards. The Skulkin looks as though it's forgotten she was ever there in the first place, because it looks around confused, gives an indifferent shrug and walks away.

Huh. Not the brightest creatures, then. That's good! She can use this to her advantage. If they're too dumb to realize she's missing, maybe Nya can escape and get back home—

It's at that moment that Nya realizes why she should've paid more attention to that shadow on the wall.

"Boo," says a gravelly voice behind her.

Nya jumps away from the wall, only gasping and not screaming this time, which is progress. When she turns to see what has possessed the cave wall, Nya sees the enormous, hulking form of another skeletal creature, all four arms (_four—FOUR—_) spread out like it's going to pounce on her. It emerges from the shadows and Nya is left with zero words in her mouth.

"Samukai, Skulkin General. Pleasure to make your acquaintance," he says, bowing exaggeratedly. Nya can only stare with wide-eyes, mostly focused on the glowing red orbs that sit where his pupils should be. Samukai is a good deal taller than her, and much bulkier too, considering all the armor he's got on. Nya should run, she should totally run, but this information only crosses her mind briefly. Her legs simply will not cooperate. She's rooted there, indefinitely, maybe forever.

Samukai (that's his name, right?) takes one step closer, glancing at her up and down, like she's disappointing him.

"Huh," he says. Nya feels like she should be offended by that.

"What?" she asks.

(She can talk! That's good to know.)

The general raises his two bony bumps that serve as eyebrows and narrows his eerie red eyes. "I just _thought _that—since we went through all that work—you might be more of a threat."

Okay _now _Nya is offended. She almost yells, "I'm a threat!" but that . . . doesn't seem like the best option, so she settles for crossing her arms and glaring instead. Samukai looks like he's unsure of what to do with her.

But Kai's still at home, probably worried sick about her, and there's work to be done and a shop to run and Nya is _out of patience._

"Alright, what's going on?" she finally asks, arms flying out for emphasis. "I never did _anything _to you, and then you _attack my house _and _fight my brother _and _KIDNAP _me, and for _what_?" Nya's sick of this, if she has to be in this ugly cave, she wants to know _why_, thank you.

Samukai growls. "Lord Garmadon asked for you, specifically."

_Garmadon. _That name rings a bell, where has she heard it before? It must've been recently . . .

"Who's that?" Nya asks, frowning. Better not be a creepy old guy, because that would just be messed up on _so _many levels—

"Lord Garmadon!" Samukai roars. Nya steps back. "God of Darkness, King of the Underworld, _Bringer of Destruction!_"

Nya's heart skips a beat. None of those titles sound particularly uplifting. And—_wait a second—_

"Underworld?" Nya manages. "Wha—don't tell me this is—that I'm—"

Apparently fed-up with her already, Samukai grabs one of Nya's arms and starts walking, dragging her behind him like a rag doll. Nya protests rather loudly, digging her heels into the ground. Her feet have zero traction on the uneven stone floor, so she just stumbles along behind the skeleton monster, tugging at her arm the whole way, even though she knows she's not getting anywhere. This guy is ten times stronger than the other skeleton.

They travel down a flight of jagged stairs, and the already-dim hallway only grows darker, the barest flicker of illumination visible in the distance. It's a glowing, purple sort of light bouncing off the walls, like it's from a fire. Purple fire? _Purple fire_? What next, flying _sheep_—?

Samukai pulls Nya through an arched doorway, where the purple flicker bursts to life in the form of torches, casting eerie shadows across the walls. Despite the torches, it's dark. Nya can't explain it. It's not the type of dark that really has anything to do with the amount of _light_. It's—it's an _implied _darkness, an atmosphere of unstable energy. Dark energy. _Evil energy. _

Frick, Nya is gonna _die _down here, isn't she?

Samukai flings her forward so she's sent staggering in front of him. There's a narrow walkway suspended over what appears to be infinite nothingness, dropping off into thick black fog. Nya edges carefully backwards, but she bumps into the Skulkin general and goes rigid. Looks like she's stuck here, then.

To be honest, Nya's not afraid, really. She's confused, and irritated, and vaguely concerned. But not _scared. _She's dealt with weird stuff before. Sure, not as weird as being dragged to the Underworld, but still. She's been doing fine so far.

Until she catches sight of a shadow within the shadows, the vague outline of something gigantic and tall, shaped almost like a—like some sort of throne. Nya's never seen a throne in person, of course, so she can only assume, but—

"Lord Garmadon," Samukai rumbles, taking a moment to bow reverently (way more believable than the one he gave _her_). "I've brought the girl."

_The girl. _Briefly, Nya is angered by the condescending term, but then she remembers that name. Garmadon. The—the _Bringer of Destruction _and all those other unsettling titles that, honestly, sound really dramatic—

"Excellent," says a voice. It must be Lord Garmadon. And Nya wasn't scared before, but _now—_

Garmadon's voice is absolutely chilling. It's not gravelly like the Skulkin, it's—it's deep and smooth and compelling, in a way, but not in a _good_ way. It's compelling in the _Come one step closer to me and I will murder you _way. And now that Nya thinks about it, that doesn't really make any sense at all—

She decides she doesn't like Garmadon. In fact, she's terrified of him and she hasn't even _seen _him yet—

Luckily, he seems happy to solve that problem for her.

Garmadon rises, and now Nya can see _his_ outline, too. And it's been about ten years since she's peed her pants, but nature nearly changes that when Nya _sees Garmadon. _

At first she thinks he has horns, and _that's _horrifying, but then she realizes it's actually some sort of devilish _hat. _His eyes glow red, just like the Skulkin, and his entire body is deep black, mixed with violet with something like tattoos across his whole face. He's—hardly human, he _can't _be human. But then what _is _he? He's—

He's crossing the walkway, steps slow and deliberate, menacing eyes fixed on her like a lion stalking its prey.

_Holy FSM, I know I haven't been the best person but please don't kill me today, I promise I'll try harder, I'll stop making fun of Kai—_

Garmadon reaches her, and Nya silently realizes he's _so much taller _than she thought. There's something a little weird about the shape of his body, almost uneven, a little bit—

"A pleasure," he says. Then words tumble out of her mouth before she can stop them.

"Okay, listen, if you're gonna kill me just do it now and get it over with, but at least make sure Kai knows what happened so he's not waiting for—"

"_Kill _you?" Garmadon laughs, and Nya flinches back. "Quite the contrary. I need you alive."

Oh, so it's a ransom situation?

"Well, we don't actually have that much money, so I really don't think my brother's gonna pay—"

"It's not money I'm after."

Nya blinks. "Then . . . what am I here for?"

Garmadon leans down so the word falls right in front of Nya's face. "_Bait_."

Bait—?

It seems like things should be falling into place, like Nya should understand what's going on here. But she's still wildly confused. And what's she supposed to do? _Ask _the Lord of Darkness what his evil plan is? She doubts he'll launch into a monologue for her, and even if he did, does she _really _want to know?

Apparently she does.

"What kind of bait?" she asks, frowning. Garmadon looks down at her with those piercing eyes of his and tilts his head to one side. Nya holds eye contact, even though it's uncomfortable. His eyes . . . they're not just glowing orbs like the Skulkin's. Garmadon's eyes look almost normal, minus the whole _being red _thing.

His eyes are the one thing that humanizes him, just a little bit. Nya isn't sure how to feel about that.

"In time, all will fall into place."

That's all he says. Then Samukai takes hold of her arm again and starts dragging her out of the room. She moves with a little more compliance than before, but her eyes are on Garmadon as she exits. He watches her, too. And there's _something _in his expression, for just half a moment, that _almost _looks like . . .

She can't label it. It's sympathy and guilt and understanding all rolled into one, but only for the barest of seconds. Then it's gone, and Garmadon turns around, striding back to his shadowy throne.

The expression sticks in her mind, though, and Nya wonders if, perhaps, Garmadon _was _human once. She doesn't really know anything about things like that, but she imagines it's possible . . .

"The whole plan is a little far-fetched, if you ask me," Samukai says suddenly. He sounds absent, like he's talking to himself more than to her, but Nya grows interested.

"What plan?"

"Lord Garmadon isn't interested in _you_ at all," the general says. "He wants the Golden Weapons."

A memory flashes through Nya's mind like the flick of a switch, but it's gone before she can really see it. Golden Weapons? She—she _knows _that, somehow she's heard the term before . . .

"What're the Golden Weapons?" she asks softly.

Samukai glances back at her briefly, still pulling her along through another dark hallway.

"The most powerful objects in all of Ninjago."

They don't talk anymore after that, because Nya is busy contemplating what that could mean for the world. If a person like Garmadon . . . gets his hands on _the most powerful objects in all of Ninjago _. . .

And suddenly, Nya realizes her little bubble of a life is actually part of a much _bigger _one. One that she's now a key part of, whether she likes it or not.

* * *

**A/N: how's THAT for AU, huh? *slams hands on desk***

**i had so much fun writing this chapter, the next few are equally entertaining, if not a little sad. but you signed up for angst when you clicked on the story, so i regret nOTHING.**

**have a good one, folks!**


	7. Cartwheels Don't Cure Depression

**A/N: sorry about that little hiatus, Christmas break was busier than usual. i got to write some more, though, so this story has a surprising amount of chapter buffer now! score.**

**so here's the Nya In The Underworld AU that no one asked for! i tried to keep Nya as in-character as possible, considering we never got to see what exactly she was doing while Kai was failing at that training course :p **

**cheers!**

* * *

Sometimes Nya would read stories about places like this. Dark, scary places at the core of the earth, where all the creepy things go when the normal people banish them. Nya's read a lot of fairytales. Lots of fiction. And nonfiction! She's read novels and watched documentaries and studied texts that Walter told her not to look at.

But even after all that, Nya had _never _imagined she'd ever be _in the Underworld. _

It just—it isn't something people normally expect to happen, especially since she's never really considered that the Underworld might be _real. _But here she is. Here she is, sitting in a tiny cell, very much _in the Underworld. _

Not that she's locked in or anything. The door is actually wide open, she can leave anytime she wants. Samukai led her there and told her, "This is where you sleep, for now. Explore all you want, but if you disturb Lord Garmadon, it's your funeral."

He left Nya standing there with what was probably a rather amusing look on her face. Sure, it's gratifying that she's got some freedom, but it's just—it's so _boring. _A clumsy Skulkin has been assigned to track her down and bring her food every now and then, but it's never anything appetizing. It's always squishy or lumpy or downright _unidentifiable_, so Nya's stomach is getting a little growly lately.

She did manage to steal a fork (jaggedly carved from rough stone), so she's been scratching lines into the wall for every day that drags by. So far she's up to three days. _Three. Days. _Three whole days trapped in the Underworld, waiting for who knows _what _to happen.

It was rough for a while. The first day was especially difficult. But then Nya realized a very obvious fact: Kai would be coming for her! _Duh. _There's no way Kai is sitting at home right now, doing nothing. He cares about her. If _he _was the one that got abducted by demons, Nya would sure as heck come after him. So really, all she has to do is wait.

Three days already feels like three years, so Nya is . . . having trouble with patience, which has always been a faulty trait of hers. Oh well. The Skulkin don't bother her, and she doesn't bother them. It's a solid truce for the moment. Overall, she's doing okay. She's just confused about what's going on and how she fits into all of it.

Nya occupies herself with gymnastics. The cell is small, as far as rooms go, but there's enough space to turn a decent cartwheel, or land a well-placed somersault. She can _almost _do a front flip, but backflips are still out of the question. With enough hours of practice, she'll be practically unstoppable. Although, Nya doubts she can cartwheel her way out of the Underworld.

It's during a fierce practice session that her assigned Skulkin (Kruncha—the names here are outrageous) wanders in, bearing a bowl of something steaming. She's in the middle of a (pretty impressive) round-off and her foot makes contact with Kruncha's head. There's a jolting _smack. _

"_Gah_, sorry," Nya apologizes, straightening up. Kruncha might be helping an evil warlord take over the world, but it's not like he ever did anything to her _personally. _"Didn't see ya."

Kruncha twists his skull back into the forward-facing position and mutters something about an "occupational hazard". He sets the bowl on the ground and turns to leave, rubbing his neck. Normally Nya would let him go, because she really has no interest in talking to him, but today she whips around and calls, "Wait!"

The Skulkin freezes in the doorway, one foot still raised in midair to take another step. Nya approaches him slowly. The whole thing is kinda awkward, since she's a prisoner right now and Kruncha is working for the enemy . . . but he's also not very smart, so she's hoping this goes smoothly.

"So . . . what do you know about the Golden Weapons?" Nya asks casually, leaning against one of the walls. Kruncha's knobby shoulders go rigid.

"The—the golden _what_, I don't know about any golden—"

"Come _on_," Nya sighs. "You can tell me. It's not like I can go anywhere right now, anyway."

Kruncha thinks about this, then turns his head to raise a brow bone at her. "Why d'you care?"

Nya gestures indistinctly. "Wha—because apparently it has something to do with _me_, and I wanna know why I'm here!"

Kruncha grumbles a sigh, but he turns around to face her fully. "Lord Garmadon is trapped here in the Underworld. Banished. He can't retrieve the weapons himself."

Alright, it's still not making much sense.

"And . . . ?"

"_And_, he sent us to find the map. It has the locations of the four Golden Weapons on it."

"Map?"

Nya doesn't remember anything about a map. No one ever mentioned it. It's like a chunk of missing information in her brain, an empty spot in a puzzle. Maybe—did Garmadon say something about a map? Was she not listening?

"The one hidden in the sign, right on your house." Kruncha sounds skeptical, like she's messing with him. Like she should know all this already.

"_What_." Their shop's sign had—had a _map _to the _Golden Weapons_—the whole time? Her entire life? Who put it there?!

Kruncha seems annoyed with her. "Why _else _would we enter the human world? For a joyride?"

Nya's head is spinning. Their shop is called the Four Weapons. There are _four _Golden Weapons. The _map _was hidden in their house all along. Again, there are loads of missing pieces, and Nya would do anything to know _what the heck is going on._

"Anyway. The Sword of Fire is hidden inside the Fire Temple. Lord Garmadon plans to lure Wu's team there to retrieve it."

_Wu? Sword of Fire? Fire Temple?_

"You're the bait, in case that wasn't obvious by now," Kruncha finishes, heading out the door without a backwards glance. Nya has to lean heavily on the wall to keep her knees from giving out. _Wu_. That name is so achingly familiar, but _why_?

_Sensei Wu! Your spinjitzu looks rusty._

The words echo in her head like a gong, ringing louder and louder until—until she remembers. Right before the water tower fell—before she was yanked right out of her yard—she hears Samukai's voice saying the words, spitting them out maliciously. The memory is barely even recognizable at this point, but it's _there. _

The old man is Wu? He has a team? He—

Nya sits down, one hand rubbing her forehead so she doesn't spontaneously combust from info overload. Things are . . . starting to make a lot more sense now. Not enough sense for her to _understand _it, but still.

Dubiously, Nya eyes the bowl of food, still sitting where the Skulkin had placed it earlier. Her stomach gives an aching growl, but still, Nya just grimaces and pushes the bowl away with her foot.

Dark thoughts start to weave their way into her consciousness, but Nya recognizes them and leaps to her feet again, throwing herself into another cartwheel. Distractions. The only thing she can do now is distract herself while she waits for Kai to come drag her out of here. It's gonna be fine. Heh, it's not like she's gonna be stuck down here forever.

Maybe if she tells herself that enough times, she'll actually start believing it.

oOo

Six days. It's been six days, and Nya is still trapped in the Underworld. Six days is almost a week, and a week is _too long. _Kai should've been here by now, what's taking so long, why is she _still here_—

The Underworld is nothing but dark caverns and shadowy rooms and huge, gaping atriums full of skeletons and oversized spiders clinging to the walls. Every object is hard and made of stone; the closest thing Nya has to a blanket is a scratchy length of fabric that she curls up on at night.

Or, what she assumes is night, anyway. There's no sense of time here, no sun, no sky. When Nya looks up, all she sees is jagged cave walls that extend into eternal blackness above. The food she manages to choke down is minimal, and she can't find warmth no matter how far she wanders into the various passages.

It's miserable.

Nya's beginning to feel claustrophobic, too, like the darkness is closing in from all sides, ready to suffocate her at any moment. She misses the bright autumn colors of Ignacia and the blankets on her bed at home. She misses the fire in the forge and Kai's proud smile when she learns how to make a new weapon.

She misses _Kai._

Sometimes, when the Skulkin retreat to their nooks and crannies for the "night", Nya curls up in her corner and cries, but not for very long. Just long enough to get the emotions out. Then she replaces negative feelings with positive affirmations that—that don't usually work, if she's being honest.

Sometimes it's so bad that Nya's breath gets quicker and her hands shake and—and the whole room spins around and around because Nya feels _trapped _and she _hates _feeling trapped—

But not more than she hates feeling _helpless. _

Even though she doesn't understand the details yet, these creatures are _using _her, and she can't do anything about it because she's _alone _and _weak._

What's she gonna do, barge into Garmadon's throne room and take him down singlehandedly? Heck no, Nya values her own life a little more than that, geez. And it's not like the Underworld has a front door that she can just walk out of. She's absolutely and utterly out of options.

_Kai's coming. Just gotta be patient._

Unfortunately, patience is something Nya has a very limited supply of. Runs in the family. With every day that passes, Nya grows more restless, more angry, more hopeless.

Boredom is enough to drive her crazy on its own, so she tries to defeat it by practicing every gymnastics move she can think of, eventually inventing _new_ ones to keep herself busy. Nya perfects her front flip and even gets halfway decent at a backflip—after acquiring a wild amount of scrapes and bruises from attempting it on solid rock surfaces all the time.

Sometimes she follows Kruncha around and keeps up awkward conversation. On occasion, he lets her sit in the workspace when the Skulkin are fixing their vehicles and building new ones. Their techniques are primitive at best, and Nya always wants to point out errors and offer assistance. But then she remembers—these are the _bad guys. _She's not helping them.

Days turn into weeks. Nya's mood plummets drastically. Hope dwindles, even though she used to be so certain that Kai would figure out where she is and come for her. The Underworld becomes familiar and Nya falls into a mundane routine every day, not that she _likes _it, but . . .

Well, what else can she do?

What if the Skulkin did something to Kai? What if he's not coming, what if he's—

Nya blocks those worries out as best as she can, but fears creep in through cracks in her defenses. Her condition becomes somewhat unstable as the days wear on, hour by hour, minute by minute. She's only vaguely aware of how _terrifying _she looks right now, covered with all variations of dirt and bruises from her gymnastics fails.

But despite the crushing weight of helplessness and soul-devouring fear she's wrestling with, Nya's fine! Totally fine! _Great_, in fact. She's so totally fine that it doesn't even bother her when Kruncha invades her personal space one day and yanks her out of the "cell" without any explanation.

(That's a lie—it bothers her a whole hecking _lot_.)

"Where are we _going_?" Nya demands.

"Garmadon requested an audience with you."

_Garmadon_? Oh _no. _She's in no mood to deal with that helmet-headed spawn of Satan. Nya tugs at her arm, wondering how much trouble she'd be in if she just yanked Kruncha's hand out of its socket. But rather than trekking back to the throne room, they stop in the middle of another corridor—

And Garmadon is there, too.

Kruncha releases her wrist and gives her a little shove. "Good luck," he grumbles sarcastically. Nya shoots him a glare, and in that same second, Garmadon wraps an arm around her shoulders. Her entire body tenses.

"Let's take a walk," he says in that low, smooth way of his. Nya has no choice but to keep up with him, extremely aware of his presence right next to her, leading her around.

"I think it's time I was honest with you," Garmadon sighs. "I suppose it's only fair."

Nya raises an eyebrow. "Um. You dragged me to the Underworld against my will. Nothing about this is fair."

Garmadon eyes her, looking annoyed—but amused, nonetheless. "Hmm. What if I were to tell you what your role is in all of this."

Nya blinks. She knows she's supposed to be bait, but besides that . . . everything is pretty hazy.

". . . I'm listening."

Still guiding her through the cavern, Garmadon explains, "Long ago, my father, the First Spinjitzu Master, created the Four Golden Weapons. Each one holds the power of a certain element—fire, ice, lightning and earth."

"O-_kay_ . . ."

"And, to make a long and burdensome story short, my meddlesome little brother hid them away and banished me to this cursed place."

Nya frowns. "So—wait. The _First Spinjitzu Master _is your _father_? Then . . . how'd you end up like _this_?"

Garmadon hums deep in his throat, sounding displeased. "That . . . is a story for another time. What matters _now _is obtaining the Golden Weapons so I can _rule _Ninjago."

Well, that's definitely not good.

"Kruncha told me you can't leave the Underworld," Nya observes.

"Correct. That is why, in the final stage of my plan, I will use _you _to lure Sensei Wu and his pathetic ninja to the last weapon—the Sword of Fire."

Nya's getting angrier with every word, and the term "use" doesn't sit well with her, either. But—something still doesn't make sense.

"Okay, but why would that old man care about _me_?"

Garmadon stops walking, the arm around her shoulders tightening a little too much. Nya shifts uncomfortably.

"Haven't you heard?" Garmadon hisses sarcastically. "Your brother is Wu's newest recruit."

Something in Nya's chest drops. Thoughts explode and start whirling like crazy, crashing into each other before she can make sense of anything.

"I—wha—_Kai_? A _ninja_? No. There's no way—"

"Apparently you underestimate what _lengths_ your brother will go to in order to rescue his _little sister_."

All Nya can do is blink as everything finally clicks into place. Sensei Wu was at their shop to find Kai, but Kai turned him away. Then the Skulkin attacked them, and she got kidnapped, so—

—so Kai agreed to be a ninja so he could get her back.

Part of Nya is touched at the gesture. Her heart swells at the idea of Kai doing something like that to save her, he was never the best at coordination, or teamwork, or . . . really anything that requires patience or practice. But clearly he's willing to try—for her.

The other part of Nya is absolutely terrified, because Kai is in a lot of _danger _right now. She can't let him walk right into Garmadon's trap, she has to _warn _him somehow—

Then something _else _clicks.

"How did you know the map was in _our _house?" Nya asks. "It could've been anywhere!"

"Many years ago, Wu and I knew your father well. Wu would only hide the map with someone honest—and trustworthy."

"I thought you said your little _brother _hid the map."

Garmadon snarls, "Wu and I _are _brothers."

Just when Nya's mind was starting to clear up, things get all fuzzy again. She pulls away from Garmadon and shakes her head hard.

"Wait just one _second! _You—_you're_ the brothers from all those stories? The ones who fought in the Serpentine Wars together?"

As if he's staring at something very far away, Garmadon's voice is absent. "Yes . . . I suppose we are." Then he blinks. "Who told you about the Serpentine Wars?"

Nya's face falls. "Walt—uh . . . a friend of my father told me stories about them. But . . ."

_But now he's gone._

And it's . . . _all Garmadon's fault. _

Nya is stuck in the Underworld. She doesn't have any outstanding abilities, she's lost, she's alone, and she's confused beyond belief. But she's _mad_, and that outweighs everything else by a landslide.

Blood boiling, Nya seethes, "_You_."

Garmadon appears unfazed. "_Excuse_ me?"

"_You! _You sent your ugly _Skulkin _to the _wrong house_, didn't you?"

"How should I know? Those boneheads can't tell right from left, I can only _imagine—_"

"No!" Nya is fuming now, stomping right up to Garmadon and jabbing an accusatory finger at his chest. "You sent them to the first house thinking it was my _father_. You—_you—_"

Garmadon brushes her away easily. "Did I? Ah, yes, I suppose I did. A pity, really. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Nya's hands clench into fists, nails biting into the skin of her palms. Garmadon continues.

"My warriors are easily angered. It is not my fault if that man got in the way—"

As he continues to ramble on, the words blend together in a deafening screech, ringing in Nya's ears until all she can see is red. How dare he. How _dare _he. Walter was _everything to her_, he was—he was—

"He was my _friend!_" And before Nya even feels herself move, her hand whips out and strikes Garmadon across the face. He stops talking.

She should probably be horrified at herself. In fact, all things considered, Nya should really start running right about now. She just _slapped _the _God of the Underworld_. Technically, her life is, like, in immediate jeopardy.

But Nya doesn't run. She stays right there, feet planted firmly on the ground, eyes glued to Garmadon's neutral expression. She's angry that he isn't reacting at all, she wants him to yell or hit back or, you know, unleash the powers of hell or something.

Nothing happens. Garmadon just looks at her. Nya looks back. She realizes it's turned into a staring contest, a battle of the wills. Who will crack first?

Nya decides it won't be her.

They stay like that until Garmadon finally lifts his chin and glares down at her. "A lot of bite for such a little puppy." And he strides away, knowing very well he's just left her with even more fury than before. Nya doesn't really know what to do now.

Her sense of direction was lost a while ago down here, so she follows the corridor until it opens up into a sort of cavernous amphitheater. This must be where Garmadon gathers his skeleton army every time he wants to make some grand speech. There's a rippling lake on the other side, and Nya feels drawn to it.

She kneels down at its edge and tentatively sticks one finger in the water. The water ripples violently at her touch and Nya jerks her hand away before she can get splashed.

"Stupid cursed underground lakes," she mumbles. Even the water down here is defected. Figures.

Nya doesn't want to get up, though. Instead, she stares at the surface until the water quiets down. When her reflection is clear, Nya is made painfully aware of the state of herself, hair in complete disarray, bangs sticking out at an odd angle. There's random smudges of dirt on every available area of skin, even one on the side of her face. She touches it and—

_Ow_, okay, that's not dirt, that's definitely a bruise.

Kai is training to be a ninja and she's just stuck waiting for him to come save her. What good is Nya if she can't even save her_self_? Isn't that what she's always stood for? Isn't that the point of her samurai exoskeleton (work in progress)? She wants to be seen as a valid threat, a force to be reckoned with.

Not some—some helpless little _baby_.

With a frustrated cry, Nya reaches out and smacks her reflection, watching it distort as it ripples into fragments. That's what she is—a mess of shattered pieces, unrecognizable to even herself.

"Found her!" yells a high-pitched, scratchy voice. Nya starts at the sound and leaps to her feet. Two Skulkin are behind her, eyeing her nervously.

Tiredly, Nya sighs. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I gotta go back to my _'room' _now." She figures it's better to take the path of least resistance this time around, she's done letting them drag her around by the arm.

Nya's morale takes a hit that day, though, and it's low for the weeks that follow. Two weeks and four days, to be specific (not that Nya's keeping track . . . but she is). She sinks into a numb sort of emptiness, letting it wrap around her like a cocoon. If Kai's not here to make her feel better, she'll just—do it herself. And the best way to feel better is to feel _nothing_, because at least then she can kinda forget about what's happening.

Not that it works very well.

Those two weeks and four days pass in a blur of haziness. Nya doesn't leave her open cell anymore, she just makes a home for herself there and gets used to it. Might as well accept it. After all, she's almost certain that she's staying here forever. Why would Kai come for her if he's a ninja now? What does he need her for?

Nya's so accustomed to her life of solitude here that it's a shock when someone interrupts her brooding one day.

It happens while Nya is dozing off for a midday nap, sprawled out dramatically on the ground, one arm over her face like she's shielding her eyes from the sun (which is ironic, since she hasn't seen the sun in . . . a lot of days).

She hears the cell door creak as someone opens it all the way.

"Leave me alone to die," Nya deadpans, unmoving. Man, the Underworld has really thrown her dignity for a loop.

The voice that follows is chillingly familiar. "Actually, I'm afraid I need you quite alive."

Nya's eyes blink open as she sits up, staring at the tall, dark figure in the doorframe. It's Garmadon, without a doubt. Oh, lovely. He's probably here to murder her for slapping him—

"Get up," he orders. "It's time for a change in scenery."

_Change in scenery? _

They're moving? They're—are they actually leaving the Underworld? She's going with them? It's almost too good to be true, this is her way out—!

"I'm sure your brother will be glad to see you."

_Uh-oh._

They might be leaving the Underworld, but it's going to be out of the frying pan and into the fire. Nya stands and backs up until she's pressed against the back wall, feet braced against the uneven ground.

"I'm not coming with you," she says. Her voice doesn't sound as steady as she wanted it to.

"You don't have a choice," is Garmadon's hateful reply. His crimson eyes narrow dangerously. "If you ever want to see your brother again, you'll follow me. If not . . . this room will be your home for the _rest _of your miserable _life_!"

Nya flinches at the words and scrambles forward. "Okay, o_kay_. Geez."

Bait is not something she's interested in becoming, but then again . . . Nya is sick of darkness and stone and purple fire. She misses Kai and her house and _normal _fire that's _orange. _

Besides, Kai might not be the sharpest crayon in the box, but she'd never underestimate him. Whatever Garmadon has planned, Kai can handle it. He won't fall for anything stupid. She at least has _that _to hold on to.

Nya's not scared for Kai, but she's maybe the tiniest bit scared for her_self_. She's not excited to find out what her role is in this whole scheme, and the unpredictability is sending her head spinning.

"Where are we going?" she asks.

Garmadon looks down at her and says, "_I _am not going anywhere. _You_, however, are going back to Ninjago."

Oh, that's right. She forgot he can't leave the Underworld, because of the banishment and all that. So . . . this means she's going for another ride with the Skulkin, which sounds as appealing as an egg-and-barf sandwich.

"But first, I require something of you," rumbles Garmadon. A knot of dread ties itself right between Nya's ribs. She frowns.

"Like what?"

"Don't move."

Nya only has time to vaguely panic about what that means. Before she can blink, a shadowy form tears itself away from Garmadon and slams right into her chest—

—and _goes right through her_.

It's the worst thing she's ever experienced in her life, like someone is shoving her whole body through a cheese grater. Her chest constricts so tightly that she forgets how to breathe, how to move, how to speak–

When the shadow emerges again, Nya drops to her knees, drained of energy. As she pants, raggedly gasping for breath, she notices a pair of red shoes in front of her—

Nya looks up and sees _Nya_. She sees another _her_, an exact copy—just without the messy appearance and various bruises. She stares wide-eyed at Garmadon.

"Wha—how did you—why—"

"How else am I supposed to lure your brother to the Fire Temple?" Garmadon says. With a wave of his hand, her shadow duplicate steps over to him and merges fluidly with his body until Garmadon has absorbed it completely.

"A projection," he states. "When faced with such idiotic limitations, one must be creative with their methods."

He yanks Nya to her feet and she stumbles dizzily behind him, immensely unsettled at the circumstances and how they're unfolding. There's nothing she can do now.

Nothing except hope Kai knows what he's doing.

* * *

**A/N: little does she know, Kai has like . . . zero clue what he's doing XD**

**review, share, do whatever. hope your holidays were amazing, if you celebrated! :) catch you folks later.**


	8. How To Train Your Fire Dragon

**A/N: aaaand we're back.**

**we're just gonna rapidly swing back and forth between canon and AU for a bit, just hang tight, folks. thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows, i appreciate anyone who's taking the time to actually read this XD**

**so for today, enjoy the One Where Everything Is On Fire. cheers!**

* * *

The ride back to Ninjago is just as jarring and upside-down as the ride to the Underworld, except this time Nya gets to sit in the passenger seat of a vehicle instead of dangling off the back. She tries to watch the transition, waiting for the moment that they cross over, but the car is moving too fast and the wind is whipping against her face—

So she's forced to close to her eyes and hold on for dear life, swallowing the panicked shriek that almost jumps out of her throat. When she finally has the courage to peek, the swirling purple vortex is fading into what looks like—pine . . . trees . . . ?

Nya sits up straighter and leans over the edge of her seat, surprised to see how fast the ground is passing underneath them, rocks and shrubs smudging into blurs and streaks of color. The sky overhead is painted with the warm colors of sunset and peppered with dim pinpoints of light on the horizon line —

_Stars! _Nya can see stars, she can see the _sky _again! Oh wow, oh gosh, she's missed it so much. This forest isn't familiar, but who _cares_, Nya is in Ninjago again!

Cool evening air rushes through her hair, messing it up even further. Nya's vaguely aware that Kai's going to be downright horrified at the sight of her, but whatever, she's too excited to care very much. So Nya hangs on and lets the vehicle bounce her all over the place. If she didn't know what's coming, she might be happy right now.

But then Nya glances to her left and sees the skeleton sitting there, sees the lifeless gleam in its eyes, and she remembers—this isn't supposed to be fun. This is _dangerous_. Nya doesn't even really know where they're going, much less what's gonna happen when they get there.

The trees thin out into a vast clearing, eventually narrowing into a distinct path that winds up a hill, leading to—

"Whoa," Nya breathes, scooting forward to get a better view of what she assumes is the Fire Temple. It's nothing like she'd imagined, it's _wayyy _bigger. Like, a gazillion times bigger. The ancient oriental architecture is stunning, glimmering in rich golds and reds, shining spectacularly with the light of sunset. The beginning of an awestruck smile starts to curve Nya's mouth upwards until she remembers herself and stops.

First the vehicle has to cross an eerie-looking bridge that's suspended rather ominously over a river of lava. Then they roll through the entrance and continue halfway down a passageway, lit by blazing torches along the walls. Further down, Nya can see warm light, like maybe there's fire somewhere, but then the skeletons drag her out of the car and lead her a different direction. Apparently she's not allowed to see whatever lies deep in the temple's interior.

Kruncha is there, bony hand around her wrist, guiding her through a series of dark tunnels full of twists and turns. She tries to memorize the layout, but Kruncha changes direction too many times for her to keep track of. Finally they emerge from the tunnel into a pocket of space, like being in a tiny cave.

It's empty except for a hole in the floor, over in the corner. A bright red glow shines through it and the air around it is noticeably warmer. Considering she's been shivering for more than three weeks, Nya is instinctively drawn to the heat, eyeing the hole curiously. She turns around to ask Kruncha about it, but he's gone.

_Huh._

Shrugging, Nya edges over to the opening in the floor and kneels, warming her hands over it. What's down there? She cautiously peeks over and the heat gains intensity, almost like looking into an oven. The only thing she can see below is a bubbling red expanse, glowing with a compelling radiance. She thinks—

Could that be—?

"Get away from there!" barks Kruncha, hurrying over to her. "If you get boiled ahead of schedule, Lord Garmadon will blame _me_."

Hastily scurrying backwards, Nya stammers, "Ahead of—_what_?"

"Never mind that," he replies. "Just—stay _here_." Kruncha points to a spot on the ground, a safe distance away from the hole.

"Okay, _fine_. Don't get your pelvis in a twist."

"My what?"

"Nothing."

Kruncha casts her an irritated glance before clonking around the corner and disappearing into the shadows of the corridor. The cave she's in feels cramped and crowded, even though she's the only thing in it, so Nya backs against the far wall and curls up, feeling very out of place. Maybe she should try to get some sleep. Something big is coming—she can feel some sort of invisible anticipation in the air.

_Just _when she'd escaped the Underworld, she gets thrown in another dark and spooky place.

"Why's it always gotta be _caves_?" Nya mutters, tucking her feet under herself and settling in.

So this is the Fire Temple, huh? Pretty cool. She wonders what its purpose is, besides being used for holding hostages. The interior is probably awesome; Nya wishes she could explore it. The way out is right there, she could totally just leave . . .

But the corridors are like a labyrinth and as much as Nya wants to go back outside, she's not interested in getting hopelessly lost in the middle of some ancient temple. She's made it this far, it would be a shame to go out like _that._

The plan from here on out is uncertain. When is Kai coming? Is he coming _here_? Will the Skulkin be heading somewhere else tomorrow? Are they leaving her here or bringing her along? Nya groans at all the mystery and rolls onto her side. Might as well get some much-needed rest while she's alone.

It can only go up from here, right?

**oOo**

To Nya's chagrin, things end up going _down_—quite literally.

She's only asleep for a short time—barely long enough to feel even a tiny bit more energized. The rude awakening comes in the form of something very heavy and very _uncomfortable_, but Nya doesn't know what it is, it's too dark.

She sits up, blinking groggily. There are at least three Skulkin with her now, none of them familiar. Nya pushes herself to her feet, finally realizing why she was so uncomfortable.

There's a thick metal _chain _wrapped twice around her middle, the end of it trailing off somewhere behind her.

_What the actual f—_

"Oh, good, you're up," one skeleton says to her offhandedly, messing with something near the wall. Nya turns around in circles, tugging at the chain and tripping over her own feet in the dark. What's going on and why does she feel so panicked—

_"Kai? Kai?"_

The voice that says the words doesn't _belong_ to her, but it sounds just like her. Nya's breath quickens as her eyes dart around the room frantically. The skeletons haven't noticed anything, and there's no one else here—

_"Kai?"_

It's _undoubtedly _her voice, but—but she's not even talking right now! There can't be two of her, that's not—

That's not . . .

_WAIT._

Quick as lightning, Nya remembers Garmadon's shadow pushing into her and creating _another her. _And then Garmadon absorbed it and—

Nya flinches as that voice whispers in her mind again, triggering a wave of abrupt pain in her neck.

_"I have to go."_

It's her, it's _her voice_, it's the creepy clone that Garmadon made of her! But it's not real. It's just a shadowy illusion, a mere wisp of reality. But—Kai might not know that.

After all those weeks of not knowing what's going on, you can imagine Nya's overwhelming shock when _everything _falls into place—all at once.

_Garmadon took that shadow copy of me so he could use it as bait. He knew Kai was looking for me, so Garmadon took advantage of that and clearly managed to find where Wu's team is—_

A skeleton nudges Nya forward a little, but she barely notices.

_Then he's going to lure Kai here, to the Fire Temple, where the _Sword of Fire _is hidden! It all makes sense now! Garmadon needs Kai to retrieve the sword for him, so he's probably going to use some sort of threat or bribery—_

That hole in the floor is really close now, she's standing right on the edge of it—

_"Kai . . ."_

The voice sends a shiver up Nya's spine, even though the air is getting really hot all of a sudden—

_—because Garmadon can't be here himself. He's gonna trick Kai into getting the sword, he's—he's gonna—_

Nya's mouth falls open and she blinks from the hole to the Skulkin and back again. The chain, the lava underneath her, Kai on his way . . .

The Sword of Fire must be under her, too. She's been right over it this whole time, and now—

"Nya!"

It's Kai, Kai is _here_, she can hear him—

_"Don't worry, I'm right here, brother."_

At the end of the sentence, the voice isn't hers anymore. It distorts into Garmadon's chilling tone, the cold-as-ice sound she's definitely learned to recognize by now. Nya bites down on her lower lip. Should she say something? Should she scream? Screaming feels right.

But Nya doesn't get the chance.

"Garmadon," she hears Kai snarl. There's a shuffling noise and a dismayed sound—like Kai is reaching for a weapon but coming up empty.

"Forgot something?" Garmadon taunts.

How is he here? He's stuck in the Underworld, he can't be in Ninjago.

Unless . . .

Unless his shadow abides by a different set of rules. Maybe he can project his image here, just like what he did to lead Kai to the Fire Temple. Nya feels better now. If it's just a shadow, Kai's not in any real danger—

"You can't hurt me here! You're _banished_. Trapped in the Underworld!"

Well, clearly Kai has the same idea, then.

"And _that_ is why you're going to remove the Sword of Fire for me."

Oh no, oh no, Kai is smarter than that, he won't fall for any dumb tricks—

"I don't _think _so," Kai growls defensively.

Nya breathes a sigh of relief. Good. Kai's never gonna do Garmadon's bidding, not while she's still alive and breathing—

Then she realizes that's probably the point.

"Are you sure about that?" Garmadon hisses.

It all happens way too quickly for Nya to think clearly, but she'll always remember the blinding flash of panic when she feels two bony hands on her shoulders and hears one skeleton say, "Nothin' personal."

Seconds later, she's falling, and the only coherent thought is that her "out of the frying pan, into the fire" joke is about to become much too literal, then she has enough sense to wonder if the chain is connected to anything and _holy FSM she's going to die—_

Just when the heat is reaching a dangerous level, Nya jerks to an abrupt halt, pain flashing up in her torso where the chain is digging in (this is child abuse, she oughta report these maniacs—).

Nya blinks as the world comes slowly back into focus, the heat making her squint. Then Nya realizes—

She's not dead! She's alive, there's still a chance they can win this thing!

"Kai!" she yelps, beyond relieved to see him standing there, albeit looking a little terrified. That's fine, she's scared, too, but they'll figure it out.

"Nya!" the panic in his voice matches hers.

Garmadon's ginormous shadow appears on a wall. "If you don't remove the Sword, how else will you cut the chains to save your _precious little sister_?"

Nya doesn't appreciate the way he says that, like she's a five-year-old damsel in distress that relies on her big brother to do everything for her, even though, in this case, she might have to leave it in Kai's hands. Finally, she finds her voice.

"You _know _it's a trap," she yells, and Kai's eyes meet hers. Nya tugs forcefully at the inconvenient chain. "I can—free my—_self_," she insists between grunts of effort.

It makes no difference. Nya blinks. "Okay, that's _tight_."

Her stomach does an impressive somersault as the chain drops even more and she shrieks. Kai's desperate, "Nya!" is followed by Garmadon's mocking, "Tick tock, tick tock." Nya's too stunned to really hear any of it since her head is spinning from almost being boiled alive _twice _in one minute, and her vision is going a little blurry—

But she hears a cry of "Ninja _go_!" and sees a blinding tornado of fire and sparks come hurtling toward her, and at this point Nya has accepted that _this _is how she's gonna die—

Then she feels the chain break and she's falling again—until two arms are around her and there's fire swirling everywhere and _how _is she not _dead _yet—

Suddenly the world stops spinning and there's solid ground underneath her. The whirl of fire dissolves into nothing and, dizzily, Nya takes a second to appreciate the fact that she actually just survived that and is somehow _not_ on fire.

A hand takes hold of her arm, helping her up, and Nya stands to see Kai next to her. She has a _lot _of questions right now, but there's no time to discuss anything. She and her brother only have a few seconds to share a grateful look before Garmadon is prowling again.

"Stay close," Kai warns. Nya hurries to keep up as he steadily advances, sword raised defensively. After all _that_, Kai doesn't have to ask her to play it safe this time.

"Trust me, I'm not going anywhere." Her voice shakes a little as she speaks, which is probably going to be a lasting effect. She'd just spent a number of weeks underground, living off of unidentifiable bits of food and sleeping on _rocks_. Things like _scarred for life _and _irreparable trauma _race through her mind, but she doesn't have time for those thoughts right now.

To Garmadon, Kai declares, "You can't hurt us! You're only a shadow!"

"Even shadows have their uses," Garmadon says.

That statement is oddly cryptic, and Nya's observation skills have always been better than Kai's, so she notices the shadow creeping along the wall before he does.

"Kai, look out!"

Kai whirls around and starts, looking shocked at the perfect shadow-replica that's charging for him.

"Stay back, Nya," he orders.

"Stay close, stay back, make up your mind!" says Nya, even as she dives behind a nearby large rock. Hiding makes her feel like a coward, but after everything that's happened recently, Nya is pretty content to let Kai handle this one.

Except, when Kai takes a swing at his shadow duplicate, the sword phases right through it. Immediately after, Shadow Kai advances and knocks Kai over with a few swift kicks. Nya balks as Kai pushes himself up, groaning.

"That's not fair!" she yells at Garmadon.

She can hear the sinister smile in his voice. "Oh, am I being too hard?"

At his words, a whole army of Shadows appears, brandishing shadow weapons. _They_ can fight, but Kai can't fight back. Nya thinks this situation is incredibly stupid and no _way _did she survive all that just to get creamed by a bunch of _shadow people._

Kai's on his feet again, attacking with his usual vigor and determination, but the Shadows win again, and Kai goes sprawling, the Sword of Fire skidding across the ground before a Shadow grabs it. Nya grips the rock she's hiding behind, battling with herself. The two of them stand a better chance than Kai does on his own, but this is starting to look like a fight that they won't win. And Nya _really _doesn't want to die here, she's come way too far for that.

But as soon as she's accepting that they're losing, another shadow appears along the wall—one that's oddly familiar. It takes out a few of the Shadows with a series of sharp movements, and right after that, it morphs fluidly into what looks like the shadow of some giant _bird. _Its massive shadow-wings create invisible gusts of wind, sending Kai's Shadow duplicates flying in every direction.

Nya takes this opportunity to help Kai to his feet, feeling a glimmer of hope rise inside her. He casts her a grateful look, opening his mouth like he's gonna say something, but then Garmadon yells something and—

Kai's eyes focus on something across the room, and Nya turns to see that it's the old man—what had Garmadon called him? _Wu._

Then there's a bunch of general chaos. Garmadon opens a window out of thin air, and through it, Nya can see a few different things happening to three other guys, all conveniently color coded. There are boys in white, black, and blue, all being attacked by Skulkin warriors in the middle of the forest. Wu seems agitated by this.

"My brother must not unite the four weapons! We must keep them apart!" he bellows. Kai's whole body goes rigid, and Nya wonders if she's supposed to be having a similar reaction. Truthfully, though, she doesn't know what's going on. She knows that the four golden weapons are, like, crazy dangerous . . . but besides that . . .

"Awaken, Guardian of the Deep!" Garmadon yells suddenly, and the whole floor starts vibrating. Nya edges closer to Kai. "They're stealing the sword! You must not let them escape."

Everything from the ground to the ceiling shakes violently, earthquake-level vibrations that send bits of rock crumbling down the ancient walls. Fissures and cracks weave across the floor, a particularly jagged one passing right under Nya's foot. She jumps away hastily.

Wu tries to leap over to them, but instead of landing on solid rock, his feet find purchase on the monstrous head of—

Nya's vision goes blurry.

That's—it's a—there's no _way_—

Blindly, Nya reaches for Kai's hand, just to feel it, to make sure she's not dreaming. Because—

The head rises out of the lava, revealing a real, actual, fire-breathing _dragon _that rears up and lets out a deafening roar. Nya is pretty sure she screams, but she can't be certain. Pillars of rock collapse heavily in front of the entrance, officially sealing them all inside. The day is just turning out to be one nightmare after another, she just wants to go _home, gosh darn it._

"There's no way out," Kai panics. "He's taken away all our options!"

Nya doesn't know where her sarcasm comes from, but she _really _wants to say, "How observant of you!" right about now, because _duh_!

The old man, looking grim, hops into the lava pool, landing on a piece of rock that's floating there. "All but one."

The dragon momentarily forgotten, Kai calls out, "Sensei! What are you doing?"

Alright, Nya doesn't know anything about this Sensei guy, but she knows there's a _dragon _stomping around right in front of her and she doesn't want to _die. _So she doesn't hear the rest of the shenanigans taking place. Both eyes are on the dragon, which is pacing around, snorting softly like it's evaluating her. Her dad used to tell stories about dragons, she vaguely remembers something like that. Maybe—

"Noooo!" Kai screams, and Nya whips around to see her brother dramatically fall to his knees. She tries not to roll her eyes (she tries very, very hard). But then she hears Garmadon's sinister, "Then I will see you there, _brother_!"

She's just in time to watch Garmadon's shadow dive into the lava and disappear. Sensei Wu is gone. And so is the Sword of Fire.

That can't be good.

Kai despairs, "This is all my fault! Sensei won't be able to hold up for long."

Nya doesn't want to be insensitive, but . . .

"Forget Sensei—what about _us?_"

The dragon roars again, louder this time, and Kai pushes himself up so he can stand protectively in front of her as the animal's searing breath rushes through their hair.

"What do we do, what do we do, what do we do," Kai whispers frantically, squeezing his eyes shut as another wall-shaking roar echoes through the room.

"You're asking _me_?" Nya asks, eyes wide. She doesn't see how they're supposed to get out of this one. If the dragon doesn't eat them, it'll shove them off this rock and they'll go splashing into the _lava _down there—

The dragon whips its tail towards them and Kai throws both himself and Nya to the ground as the tail goes soaring over their heads, leaving hot wind in its wake. Groaning, Nya rolls onto her back, pushing up onto her elbows to survey the situation. Exits blocked, lava everywhere, scary man-eating dragon about to crush them—

"It's the Sword's guardian," Kai tells her, panting. "I think it's mad."

"Well, where's the Sword?"

"Sensei took it to the Underworld!"

Even the mention of that place makes Nya want to throw up. "The _Underworld_?" So _that's_ what was going on while Nya's brain had been short-circuiting at the sight of this house-sized reptile.

Kai looks like he wants to ask her something, but the dragon shrieks again and the siblings cover their ears, wincing. Her dad used to tell them stories about dragons, she can _almost _remember—

"We're not stealing the Sword!" Kai yells uselessly at the dragon. "Calm down!"

And that gives Nya an idea.

She pushes herself to her feet, keeping her hands out in front of her in a taming gesture, wide eyes fixed on the rampaging animal. Nya takes a step forward. A moment too late, Kai realizes what she's planning.

"Wait _wait—_" he hisses, grabbing for her arm, but she's already too far ahead, because again: Nya is _crazy _and apparently can't resist getting herself into perilous situations.

Still, she continues to advance slowly forward, breaths calm and even, footsteps light. Kai protests from behind her—"Nya, I _swear _to FSM"—but she can barely hear him anymore. The dragon stomps loudly and the ground shakes, bouncing Nya a little before she steadies herself again.

"Easy, boy. Eeeeaasy," she soothes. Talking to a dragon the way she talks to a _cat _is probably not going to help, but she's gotta try. The dragon rears up on its hind legs again, but Nya resists the urge to abandon her mission.

_Take no shit, take no shit—_

The mantra rings in her ears until it's louder than the dragon, louder than Kai telling her to come back, louder than her own self-doubt. She's never tamed a dragon before, she's never even _seen _one until today. But it's only trying to protect the Sword, and—

It's _only trying to protect the Sword_!

Nya gasps as it clicks, and she knows exactly what to do now.

"You want it?" Nya asks. "You want your Sword?"

The dragon levels its head at her, cocking it to one side at the word. It growls deeply.

Nya continues. "We do, too! But we need—"

Another ear-splitting roar. Nya steps back a bit, switching to a new tactic.

"If we don't get the Sword from Lord Garmadon, he's gonna use it for—like, really bad stuff!" The dragon quiets, snorting curiously. "Yeah, you don't want that to happen, right?"

Nya's aware of Kai's eyes on her back.

"Listen, you gotta help us get the Sword back, okay? We're gonna take really good care of it! Promise!"

Now the dragon is significantly more passive, eyeing her with new interest. It lowers its head, nudging her gently. Kai's strangled noise accurately represents how she feels at being this close to a dragon's mouth, but it doesn't hurt her.

"We can work together, okay?" A blink from the dragon. "We're gonna get your Sword back and keep it _super _safe, where Garmadon can't find it!"

The dragon is silent for a long moment, tilting its head at her and exhaling puffs of thick smoke, which she desperately tries _not_ to ingest. Its threatening gaze is growing more dangerous by the second, and Nya is starting to wonder if it understood a word she said, because her father never told her anything about—

Promptly, the dragon lowers its head, bumping it against her stomach so hard that she nearly topples to the floor, but Nya thinks it's a gesture of understanding. A truce.

"O-_kay_ . . . are we good?" Nya asks, tentatively reaching out a hand. When the dragon doesn't move, she gently rests her hand on its snout, fingers light.

Laughing disbelieving, Nya turns her head to look at Kai, who has yet to get off the floor. He shakes his head, mystified.

The dragon nudges her again, peering around to give Kai the reptile-equivalent of a suspicious glare. Kai blinks.

"Don't worry," Nya laughs. "He's one of the good guys. Most of the time."

"Very funny, sis."

Nya steps away from her new dragon ally and holds a hand out for Kai, who takes it and lets her help him up. Then he pulls her into a hug, which, in Nya's opinion, is long overdue.

"Good to have you back," he says, and Nya feels her shoulders relax. "I was so worried."

"Never doubted ya," she says, even though she'd definitely struggled with some negative thoughts. But hey, Kai came through in the end, and she realizes her faith in _him_ had never wavered. Just her faith in herself. But then Kai's hug is suddenly too tight and her ribs flare in pain.

"_Ah_," she hisses, pulling away. Kai eyes her worriedly, looking her up and down, and Nya is made painfully aware of how awful she looks right now. Kai reaches for one of the bruises on her arm.

"How did—"

"It's fine!" she insists, smiling as convincingly as she can. "Just a scratch."

Kai frowns. "Awfully dark for a scratch."

Nya waves her hands, directing Kai's attention elsewhere. "Okay, worry about it later. Remember what Dad used to say about dragons?"

"Um. No, not really."

Rolling her eyes, Nya says, "Dragons can bridge the gap between the two worlds—between Ninjago and the Underworld."

Kai still looks lost. "And?"

"_And_, you can get the Sword back! By riding _him_!" The dragon scuffs one foot against the ground, kicking up dirt and pebbles. Kai seems hesitant.

"Are you sure?"

No, Nya's not really _sure_. But she remembers her dad talking about it, and if there's anything her dad was, it's honest. She knows that now.

So Nya gives Kai her best reassuring smile and takes his hand as they approach the Fire Dragon together. Nya has no idea what comes next, but as long as Kai is here and she's _alive_, she figures everything's gonna work out.

Now, all they have to do is stop the Lord of Darkness from finding the Four Weapons and destroying all of Ninjago.

Easy peasey.

* * *

**A/N: anyone seen bits of season 12 yet? thoughts?**


	9. Against All Odds, No One Dies

**A/N: i realize i haven't updated in a HOT second. so if there's anyone reading this, thank you! hope everyone is staying safe out there! it's a weird time to be alive.**

**anyway, here's a little bit of the aftermath and my take on what Nya was doing at home while Kai was kicking butt in the underworld. enjoy guys :)**

* * *

Weeks with nothing to do except practice gymnastics has made Nya significantly more agile, so she makes a quick job of scrambling up the dragon's side and swinging her legs over. Kai, however, requires a little more assistance, which is weird. Didn't he just spend a bunch of time _training to be a ninja_? Oh well. Nya digresses.

Nya's never ridden a horse before, but she imagines it would feel something like this. Just—with less scales. And without the frequent roaring. The dragon's body shifts underneath her, solid muscles rippling across its back.

"Put one foot there—yep. Then—here, gimme your hand." Nya reaches down and gives Kai a hand up, barely containing a grin as she watches his legs flounder in midair for a moment too long. Eventually, he crawls up in front of her and settles in. The dragon lifts its head and Kai goes rigid.

"Relax," laughs Nya. "It's not gonna hurt us."

Kai tosses her a glance. "Don't be so sure." But there's an animated sort of thrill in his eyes, a spark of adrenaline and childlike wonder that Nya hasn't seen in a while. She stretches a hand down to pat the dragon's side—it's hot, but not so much that it burns her. It's just a steady, comforting warmth radiating from its body, not completely unlike Kai's built-in heater that he's had since, like, forever.

And when Kai thinks she's not looking, he leans over and gently strokes the top of the dragon's head. It snorts appreciatively.

"So . . . what now?" Kai asks. "We need a way out, if we're gonna find my friends."

"Friends?"

Nya's nearly forgotten that Kai just spent the last few weeks doing who-knows-what, with a bunch of people she has yet to meet. They're his friends? Kai's never really had friends before, their childhood just hadn't allowed much room for other people.

She should feel proud that Kai finally found a group.

But instead, Nya feels an involuntary stab of jealousy. Kai has . . . friends. He spent a lot of time with them. He's probably pretty close with them. And . . . they're all _dudes_.

"Yeah, the guys. We've been through a lot together, over the past few weeks. Man, Nya, I have so much to tell you—"

"Let's just focus on getting outta here," Nya interrupts swiftly, ignoring the questioning eyebrow-raise she receives from Kai.

She runs a hand along the dragon's scaly back. "Okay, Flame, show us the way out."

Kai turns around to give her a deadpan stare. "Don't tell me you _named _it."

"We have to call him _something_—"

"Once you name it, you get attached to it—"

"Shut up, he likes it!"

The dragon snorts in reply, rising up to its full height and eliciting a humorous squeal from Kai, which Nya decides not to comment on. "Flame" glances around the empty cavern, then takes a thumping step forward. Nya laughs, new to this sensation, and grabs onto her brother for balance. Just now, she notices what he's wearing.

It's . . . definitely not what one would call _civilian clothes. _Her brother—her massive _dork _of a brother—is wearing some sort of full-body coverall suit, complete with gloves, boots, and a belt. The bright red hue looks good on him, she'll admit, but—

Gosh. This is gonna take some getting used to.

"Ugh, great. The one place no mortal can cross over." The words are muffled, like they're coming from outside.

Kai gasps happily. It must be one of his friends out there. He seems surprised to hear them, though. He calls out, "_We _might not be able to cross over—"

The phrase is cut short by another booming roar, which is actually a lot _louder _now that she's on Flame's back. Kai and Nya both cover their ears as the walls start shaking again and the roar echoes around the whole room, bouncing off rocks and pillars of solid magma. Then—

The temple wall splits open right in the middle, smoothly and cleanly, like it's always been able to do this. Slowly, the two halves part until the murky light of dawn comes creeping in, and Nya spots three little silhouettes on the steps outside.

"—but a dragon can!" Kai finishes. The three silhouettes turn into fully animated humans, dressed in black, blue, and white, their outfits just like Kai's. The one in black lets out a girlish scream and dives around the corner, evidently startled at the sight of the dragon.

Nya throws in, "Our father used to tell us stories about the dragons—that they were mystical creatures that belonged to both words and buried between them." Kai slides off the dragon's back, eager to greet his friends.

The black ninja chuckles hysterically. "Are you _insane_?"

Kai waves him off. "Once he realized we were trying to protect the Sword of Fire, he actually became quite a softie." Flame nuzzles Kai, playfully, and Kai laughs. "Knock it off."

Nya can't help but giggle, knowing that just a few minutes ago, Kai was terrified to be anywhere _near _this dragon. He must be warming up to it (no pun intended). Or maybe Kai just doesn't want to look stupid in front of his friends. Guys _do _have the tendency to act tough in front of other dudes, and Kai's ego can never resist.

From the ground, the blue ninja says something directed at her, but Nya can't understand a word of it. Sounds like there's something wonky going on with his throat. The white ninja intervenes.

"He cannot talk, but he wants to know if you like blue." His voice is laced with a slight accent, clipped and smooth.

In that moment, something strange happens, and Nya can only describe it as a strong burst of romanticized fantasy. Maybe her imagination is playing tricks on her. But either way, she gets the briefest glimpse of another time—another life, perhaps—where she and this blue ninja have—

—have a _life _together.

It's the weirdest thing, more of a _feeling _than an actual image, but still. He's really kind of attractive, with chestnut brown waves and a spattering of freckles across his face. His sky blue eyes sparkle with an energy that she can see from all the way up on Flame's back—

—and he's waiting for an answer, she needs to say something.

"It's my favorite color," Nya replies finally. This is true—she's always loved cooler tones like blue and green, while Kai has stayed partial to warm colors like red.

She catches the blue ninja's reaction as she nimbly slides off Flame's back. He pumps his fist a victorious little gesture, rasping out a, "Yes!" It's horrendously adorable and Nya smiles.

Kai shoots him a glare, shaking his head subtlety. Nya wants to laugh, but a sinking feeling is settling down in her stomach. This is Kai's _team_. They're gonna take the dragon down to the Underworld and . . . do whatever ninja are supposed to do, she assumes. Save the world, stop the bad guys. It's all a little over her head at this point.

But she knows Kai won't take her along. A part of her wants to ask anyway, just in case her puppy dog eyes still work on him now that he's a big strong _hero _or whatever. But . . . something about Kai has changed since she's last seen him. There's a new maturity in his expression, chiseled and set firmly in the dark brown of his eyes. He's a ninja now. And Nya isn't.

Looks like she's gonna be sitting this one out.

Right on cue, Kai turns to her. "Nya . . ."

"This is goodbye, isn't it?" she interrupts, trying to keep the forlorn note out of her voice. But she just got _back _to her brother, and now they're splitting up again? So he can go on some crazy dangerous mission to the _Underworld_?

Kai only nods his head, eyes holding at least a little bit of regret.

"Come back to me in one piece, okay?" Nya manages. "I don't wanna have to run the store on my own." She forces a joking tone, but she knows Kai can feel her unease with the whole situation. Just . . . it's hard, okay? But heaven forbid she make a scene in front of Kai's new posse, so she leaves it at that.

"I promise I won't be gone for long," says Kai. When Kai makes a promise, he keeps his word. But this seems . . . a little out of his control.

"I'll keep a candle lit outside our shop until you return." However long it takes. Days, weeks . . . well. Hopefully it's not much longer than a few days. The house gets too quiet when Kai's not around, and she just spent an appalling amount of time without hearing his voice. On the bright side, though . . . at least now she has time to process all the overwhelming trauma without having to worry about Kai asking about it.

Not—not that processing trauma is _good_, but—well, it's a little overdue, she thinks.

The blue and white ninjas approach Flame with only a hint of caution, before clambering up onto his back and perching there. The black ninja peeks out from his hiding place.

"You guys go on ahead," he says. "There's not enough room for all of us on that—_thing._"

Ruffled at being called a _thing_, Flame angles his head at Cole. Kai just laughs. "You're right, Cole. But I got a way to fix that."

**oOo**

Kai and the other guys drop her off at Four Weapons before they take off for their legendary quest (Nya keeps telling Kai to stop calling it that, but he refuses to comply). They touch down in Ignacia and Nya slides to the ground. She hears the black ninja (Cole—he's been the only one to introduce himself thus far) say, "This is where you live? Like, it's your _house_?" She doesn't know whether he means it as an insult or not.

"We'll be back soon," Kai promises again, reaching down to squeeze her hand. "Keep the door locked, don't be wandering off. Stay safe." For a moment, it almost sounds like he's about to say _I love you_, but evidently he thinks better of it. Nya pulls away and regards them all warily, and Flame lifts off into the air.

"Be careful," Nya says, but they're already gone.

**oOo**

The first few hours aren't exactly terrible. Nya wanders around the house, tidying things up and clearing away the dust that's accumulated over the weeks. Clearly Kai has been spending his time elsewhere. The forge is eerily cold. Just to achieve some semblance of normalcy, Nya lights a small fire in the forge, taking a moment to glance around at all the armor and simple weapons being displayed.

It's several years of work hanging up on the walls. Most of it is Nya's craftsmanship, since she's always been handier with an anvil, but Kai has some pretty impressive pieces up there, too. Their smithing styles are different in most aspects, and Kai usually spent more time accidentally lighting things on fire than doing actual work, but . . .

She already misses it.

Nya breathes a sigh, feeling the boredom creep in. She has no idea how long Kai will be gone, and whenever he gets back, what's gonna change? He's a _ninja _now, he has _ninja friends_. How's he gonna run the shop and be a ninja at the same time?

Well. Nya already knows the answer to _that _question. She'd like to assume Kai would want to keep their family business going, but . . . she knows him better than that. It's not that he doesn't _care_, Kai just has the tendency to shoulder a lot of responsibility when he doesn't _have _to. He calls it his _irresistibly charming maturity. _

Nya calls it a _hero complex. _

And honestly? Nya doesn't have much knowledge about what ninja do, but she gets the basic idea of it. They defend others. They defeat the forces of evil and probably "protect the people of Ninjago" or—something along those lines. Walter never showed her any books about ninja. Just samurai. And speaking of which . . .

A new excitement in her expression, Nya pushes off the counter she's leaning on and dives for Kai's anvil, nestled in the back of the room. Turn it _juuuust right_, and—

A panel in the wall swings around to reveal a hidden storage compartment, full of an assortment of weapons and tools that Kai knows nothing about. They're all crafted in gleaming silver, the material Nya likes best. She spent—an appalling amount of time on all this, but seeing it here, shiny and complete—

It feels _great_.

And what's even _greater _is that Kai is absolutely clueless. _Ha. _

Nya closes the panel and heads down the hall to her room. The lights she'd put up a long time ago have fallen off one side of her window, so she climbs on top of her bedside table to fix them. It wobbles precariously as she teeters on one leg, reaching up to hang the strand back up, and right as she gets it to stay, something _snaps _and—

With a yelp and a crash, Nya tips backwards and slams into the floor, tangled in a string of blue lights. For a moment, she lies there, stunned and in various levels of pain. If Kai were here, he'd be on the floor next to her already, making a huge fuss and telling her, "I _told _you to stop doing that, geez, one of these days you're gonna get yourself _killed_."

She could probably use this as a chance to be over-emotional, but Nya just chuckles lightly, which turns into a louder laugh, which slowly escalates to a fit of giddy hysterics. It's just—after everything she's been through recently, Nya can't bring herself to take this seriously.

She's been to the _Underworld. _She stared the Lord of Darkness in the face, she almost died in a boiling pit of actual _lava_. And now here she is, sprawled on her bedroom floor, acting like a broken table is a _big deal. _Gosh. Kai won't be able to call her a drama queen anymore, 'cause she'll have actual experience with traumatic events. Ha.

After calming down and wrangling the lights off of her, Nya sighs at the table's shattered leg and briefly considers fixing it, just for something to pass the time. But the motivation is . . . not there. So instead, Nya flops backwards onto her bed, groaning loudly. Her whole body aches.

There's an unsettling sort of restlessness hanging over her, a twitching energy that she can't shake. Maybe it has something to do with spending three weeks in the Underworld. In fact, that's probably _exactly _what it is. She's just—every time she closes her eyes—

The darkness of the Skulkin's underground realm has yet to completely leave her system. That's why she has every available lamp in the house turned on. It's why she lit the fire. It's why she's lying flat on her back, watching her chest rise and fall slowly with every breath. The Underworld—she still feels it. She feels its blackened aura sinking into her soul, she hears the dizzying chatter of skeletons as they drift in and out of the tunnels—

Nya's eyes fly open. Several steady, deep breaths later, she feels slightly less trapped, but not any more at ease. Stupid Underworld. Stupid _Lord freaking Garmadon._

She didn't even know Ninjago _had _villains like that, not until she was being chased down a staircase by a demonic creature with glowing eyes. Since when do things like that _actually _exist? They're the sort of nonsense and legends you read about in books, not actually _witness. _None of it should be real.

Kai shouldn't be risking his life right now, gallavanting around that hellhole. None of this would've happened if she'd just been paying _attention _when the Skulkin attacked their house. If only she'd anticipated what was behind her, if she'd just turned around a second sooner—

Then maybe she and Kai would be together right now, getting the shop ready for another day, teasing each other and cooking breakfast or—

_Ugh. _

It's not that Nya's distrustful of strangers, not the way Kai is. She's just having a hard time processing this particular situation. Everything just seems so . . . off-balance. Like someone's taken her bubble and flipped it upside down so that everything is the opposite. Her brother—her hot-headed, woefully uncoordinated but well-meaning brother—trained to be a real live _ninja. _He has a suit now. He has a team. He rides _dragons _(which are _also_ real, apparently).

No matter how much Nya wishes, she knows things won't be the same. This ninja business is probably a full-time gig, isn't it? She's either going to have to stay here all alone or follow Kai to be a part of this _group. _

Both options are equally horrifying.

_Somehow, _Nya manages to roll out of bed and get some work done. First she makes good on _her _promise and lights one of their candles, placing it carefully on the living room windowsill. It flickers cheerfully.

Next, Nya heads back to her bedroom and yanks the closet door open. She's greeted by a heaping mound of scrap metal, half-finished robot appendages, and a toolbox. It'll have to be moved anyway, so she sets to work on that task, knowing it's gonna be grueling. And she's right. Three weeks in the Underworld has improved her agility, but not necessarily her arm strength. Carrying all her partially-built parts to her room is a workout all on its own.

She dumps everything in a pile on her floor, stepping back to analyze it. It's . . . definitely a work in progress. But that's good, isn't it? It'll give her something to busy herself while she waits for Kai to get back—which, hopefully, is soon. She already has some new ideas, some ways to improve the design. It'd be helpful to have some mechanical guides, she knows those books must be lying around _somewhere_ . . .

Twenty minutes later, Nya settles down on her floor, legs tucked beneath her, to finally put in some work on her suit. It's slow going for a while, and the lighting is only sub-par, but she manages to finish an entire leg, plus part of the cockpit—the part she'll be sitting in (she just can't find a better name for it). Focusing on her project serves as an excellent distraction. For a while, she almost forgets her brother could be in mortal peril right now.

But it's not like she can just—set that little detail aside.

Night falls and Nya's stomach growls with annoyance; she hasn't eaten a proper meal in . . . way too many days. She does find some apples in their tiny kitchen, so that's good, but—

Standing here, alone, in the dark . . . it reminds her that her stomach isn't the _only_ thing that's empty. Screw it, she misses _Kai_. And that's _allowed_, too, because after being together for so long, only to be suddenly separated by a pack of power-hungry demons . . .

It's just—it's a lot to process, and she's feeling the unforgiving effects of separation anxiety. And besides that, there's a metaphorical piano hanging over her head. A big question: what happens next? She shouldn't be thinking about it, because, all things considered, it's not helping her situation at all. But . . . this house is all she knows. It's where she feels safe and happy and content—

It's not that she doesn't want to explore the rest of Ninjago, 'cause she _does_, but not _yet_. Right now, she's perfectly happy with her mundane, gold-tinted bubble of life, and she figured nothing was going to change for a long time. But here she is. Leaning against the doorframe in a dark kitchen, wondering if the upcoming changes will be for better or for worse.

With nothing left to do, Nya decides she should at least make an effort at sleep. She's about to crawl into bed when she realizes she's been wearing the_ same outfit for three weeks. _

"Eugh!" Nya exclaims, shivering in disgust. Gingerly, she undresses, peeling the ruined clothes off and trying to ignore that suspicious scorch mark on the front of her shirt (she hadn't been _that _close to the lava, had she?) The next thing she does is jump in the shower. Nya's not the most dramatic person, but the feeling of hot water running over her is the_ best feeling ever_ after being stuck underground. She basks in it gratefully, pushing her hair back and letting the water wash all the dirt and grime away.

Finally outfitted in one of Kai's hoodies and a pair of sweatpants, Nya collapses into bed, sighing as three weeks of tension leaves her body. In passing, she notices the pile of tools still lying all over the floor—she'll have to clean that up before Kai gets home . . . probably tomorrow. She hopes it's tomorrow.

Twenty minutes later, Nya's still staring at the ceiling, afraid the darkness might swallow her again. After rolling over and pulling the blanket up higher, Nya gives up and leaps out of bed, snatching her homemade lights off the ground. It's outrageously dark in her room, but somehow she manages to get the lights back above her window. With a click, she turns them on. They bathe the room in a faded, calming glow, casting soft shadows across the walls and chasing the worst of the darkness away.

Satisfied, Nya gives sleep a second chance. This time, it works.

**oOo**

Morning comes in the form of a knock on the front door. Nya barely hears it, buried under the covers as she is, but she catches the second time. Blinking groggily, she groans and slides out of bed and onto her feet. She hadn't combed her hair last night, and the baggy appearance isn't her favorite, but Nya figures it's just an oblivious customer outside. She'll tell them the shop is closed and get a few more hours of sleep, no problem.

Rays of sunlight peek through the curtains of the living room, bright and cheerful. It's the unspoken promise of a better day, a clear slate that hasn't been destroyed by Garmadon's ugly piece of chalk, or . . . whatever. It's too early in the morning for metaphors.

Nya reaches the door and opens it a crack. There's a boy outside. An admittedly cute boy, too, with tousled strawberry blond hair and a lean build, bright eyes roaming over the front door like he's debating whether he should knock again. That's when Nya realizes who it is.

She yanks the door open. "Aiden?"

He stares at her, wide eyed, and Nya is made alarmingly aware of how disgusting she looks right now, hair in disarray and drowning in Kai's oversized pajamas. They both clear their throats awkwardly.

"Hey," Aiden finally says.

"Hey."

"How—how've you been?" he asks, gesturing casually at the house.

At his question, Nya blinks, forcing back the memories of dark caverns and suffocating tunnels crawling with spindly arachnids and red-eyed skeleton monsters—a pool of bubbling lava, her own panicked scream bouncing off the temple walls—

"Good," she lies.

Aiden rambles right along. "I'm sorry if this is a bad time, I know it's, like, really early, but—I dunno, I just wanted to—I thought I would—I mean—"

Nya waits patiently. But her brother might be back soon, she can't help letting her thoughts stray to that particular circumstance. Sighing, Aiden finishes.

"I, uh . . . wanted to tell you that . . . the cat is doing really well!"

"Allie," Nya corrects.

"Allie?"

"Yeah, 'cause I found her in an alley . . . ya know?"

Aiden breathes a laugh at that, which eases some of the initial tension. Then his expression changes as he says, "This is gonna sound really stupid, but—would you wanna . . . maybe hang out sometime? Maybe, like, next week?"

Oh. _Oh_. Is he asking her on a date? No, that's ridiculous. But—but he's asking her to be friends, sort of, and he's . . . really cute, so that must count as a _kind-of-date_, right? Maybe? Either way, he's asking her to _hang out_, like _friends _do.

Immediately following the excitement, there's a wave of sadness. Nya doesn't understand why until she remembers: her brother is a ninja now. There's no guarantee that she'll even _live _here next week, let alone have the means to hang out with someone from Ignacia. For all she knows, she'll be on the other side of the continent, being hopelessly bored while Kai does ninja things with his ninja buddies—

"I would love to," Nya starts. "But . . . I'm moving."

Aiden blinks. "What? Moving where?"

Sheepishly, Nya rubs a hand behind her neck. "I . . . don't really know." When Aiden frowns, Nya rushes to clarify before he thinks she's just making up excuses.

"Look, it's all really complicated, but my brother . . . he has a new job now. And I don't think we're staying here. It's—yeah. It's a lot."

For a few moments, Aiden doesn't look convinced, but then he sees the look on Nya's face. She's never been the best at hiding how she feels, and right now, regret is written all over her expression. She knows that. Nya knows because she feels the guilt and sadness spreading inside her already, the dark promise of homesickness and the threat of change she knows is coming.

"Oh," Aiden says, expression downcast. "Does Walter know?"

With that name, Nya is whisked back to reality, and a new crushing weight threatens to flatten her on the front lawn. _Walter _. . .

"Walter's . . . he's dead," she manages, but the telltale crack in her voice makes it rather obvious that she's barely holding it together. Not that Aiden seems to notice that. He's not looking at her with shock or pity or even grief. Instead, his hazel eyes are narrowed in confusion, one eyebrow raised. That's okay, Nya thinks. Everyone processes loss in different ways—

"No he's not."

A beat of silence. Nya blinks rapidly, not sure if she just heard him correctly.

"Yes he is," she says. "I was there. I—those skeletons were in his house, he—"

"Nya." Aiden looks at her very carefully. "Walter isn't dead."

Truthfully, it's been the craziest month Nya's ever experienced. After living so happily in her bubble of mediorcre-ness, she'd thought being dragged to the Underworld was about as surprising as it could get. But here she is, a mess of bedhead and bags under her eyes, standing in the doorway while Aiden waits for her reaction.

Hmm . . . reaction . . .

She should probably have one of those. But she'd believed Walter to be dead for . . . gosh, she can't even remember how long. The past few weeks felt like years. It's been a grim knowledge hiding in the back of her head for a while now. It's not that she was anywhere _close_ to getting over what happened, but then she had other things to worry about (like, you know, survival), so the concept of Walter being gone just . . . took a back seat.

And now that Aiden is telling her something different—?

"After those creatures raided his house, Walter went to stay with some guys in town. He's doing fine. Still scared to come back, but fine."

Nya's world tips on its axis and she vaguely wonders if she's about to pass out, but she only ends up kneeling in the dirt, Aiden's tennis shoes right in her line of focus. He crouches down next to her.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

Shakily, Nya nods and pushes herself back up—her pride took a hit with that little incident, but it's never too late to fix it! She takes a deep breath, then plants both hands solidly on Aiden's shoulders. He flinches slightly.

"I know it doesn't make sense, but there's a lot going on right now and I—I just need some time to think. I'll meet you at the market, okay? I'll meet you . . . what day is it?"

Growing steadily more concerned, Aiden says, "Friday."

"Perfect! I'll meet you tomorrow, okay? Bright and early! I promise." And with that, Nya whirls around and practically falls back inside, closing the door again behind her. She presses her back against the wood and waits exactly two minutes, then peeks back outside. Aiden is gone. Shakily, Nya releases a breath and refocuses. That was . . . a difficult interaction to have, to say the least. And—

Aiden has to be confused. Or misinformed. There's no way Walter is—

But he _could—_

Nya wishes she could run down to the market immediately and bother everyone until they told her the truth, until they showed her where Walter is hiding . . . if he's actually alive. The news is uplifting, and a normal Nya would be jumping up and down right now, squealing with glee, but—

Well, maybe the Underworld will get out of her head eventually, but not today. Today she's still trying to shake it off.

Hoping to pass the time, Nya showers again, just to feel the water hitting her skin and reminding her that she's still alive and breathing. After spending much too long standing in the shower, she changes into actual clothes. Clean clothing is a simple pleasure, indeed, but a valid one all the same.

Another hour goes by, and Nya opens up all the windows in the house. Sunlight pours in. She leans against the front window, the one with the candle in it. It's somehow still burning steadily, the little flame quivering in the soft breeze from outside. Nya watches it, but she's looking _through _it rather than _at _it, and the anxiety from last night comes creeping back. It's chilling, really, to imagine what would happen if her brother just . . . didn't come back. In fact, Nya doesn't even want to let herself think that far. Too depressing. Too early in the morning.

Just when she's dozing off, propped against the windowsill, a faint roar cuts through the air and startles her into full consciousness. Nya straightens, wide eyes searching the sky. She doesn't see anything, but—but she definitely heard a dragon, she'd know that sound by now. She's not crazy, she—

_There they are._

Just four little spots on the horizon, growing closer with every passing second. At first, Nya thinks they might be birds, but then the enormous wings and snouts come into focus and she shoves off the windowsill with a gasp. The black clouds that had been hanging around disappear and she hears a distant cheer from the villagers down in the valley. And before Nya can process that, four multicolored dragons touch down, one by one, in her front yard. She hardly stops to marvel about that fact, which really says something about how her life has been going, but then Kai is jumping off of Flame's back and Nya is out the door and running towards him.

"Kai!" she yelps, crashing into him. His arms go around her gratefully, and when she pulls back, they don't have to say anything. They won. She can see it in his eyes.

"Hey! My turn!" calls an unfamiliar voice, and Nya turns just in time to be hugged by a very emphatic blue ninja. Briefly, she realizes he can speak now, but then she realizes there's a _cute guy_ hugging her and she _doesn't know what to do_, so Nya just laughs.

Citizens come running up the road like migrating gazelles, cheering and gossiping among themselves. Nya looks around at them, hoping against hope that one of those faces is Walter's, but no luck. She moves the thought aside and focuses on her brother.

"I'm so happy you're back," she breathes, and she means every word. Life without Kai is not a life Nya enjoys living—she knows that now. Unfortunately, Kai doesn't match her optimism.

"For now, but it's not over. Lord Garmadon will return," he says, looking grim.

_What?_ They just got away from that twisted warlord and now he's coming _back_? Nya fumes. Around them, the townsfolk turn anxious, whispering about "Garmadon" and "conquering Ninjago". She glances at the black ninja—Cole, she remembers. He steps forward.

"And we'll be ready for him," he declares. His friends agree with them, and they all yank their weapons out and point them up together in a victory circle of epic proportions. When the weapons touch, there's a blinding burst of light that erupts out and knocks everyone down, eliciting a surprised laugh from Nya and screams from everyone else.

"Okay, we gotta remember to not do that again," Kai says, rubbing his forehead.

Cole groans. "Good idea."

The blue ninja adds, "Yeah, we'll stick to high-fives instead."

"Agreed," says the white ninja. They all laugh. He frowns, quizzically. "Was that a joke?"

Nya takes a step back, watching her brother and his new friends mess around and tease each other. Maybe . . . maybe this won't be so bad. They seem friendly enough, anyway, so—so she'll give them a chance. Just one. Because even if she's not exactly down to rearrange her entire life, these people make Kai happy. Sure, things will never be the same again, but—

Well. The smile on her brother's face is worth it.


	10. Pennies of Uncertainty

**A/N: yowza, i know it's been a bit since i updated this one, but considering the state of the world today, i've had some other priorities haha...**

**anyway! here's another chapter for anyone who's still following, and here's a reminder to stay safe and also black lives matter! **

**okay, enjoy :)**

**oOo**

Kai's ninja buddies don't stick around very long. Eventually they exchange quick _see you later_'s and take off into the sky, perched excitedly on their color-coded dragon counterparts. Kai watches them go, hands on hips and a grin on his face. The villagers scatter as well, continuing their chatter as they head back to their respective farms and homes in the valley.

Nya, feeling an unwelcome pang of sadness in her chest, wanders away, hops onto the fence by the road and lets her eyes rest on the horizon. She missed a whole month of autumn, and the leaves are starting to lose their bright colors, turning crisp at the edges and littering the ground. Even though the breeze is slightly chilling, Nya stays where she is. If she focuses really hard, she can see Walter's house down there, partially hidden behind a row of trees.

"Hey," Kai says, coming up behind her, footsteps crunching softly in the grass.

"Hey," Nya replies. Kai climbs up next to her and swings both legs over the fence, taking a seat. For a moment, the two of them rest there quietly, perhaps taking some time to appreciate the silence—it's almost unnerving, how still everything is. Almost as if life is normal again. Like Lord Garmadon never happened. But the memories are too fresh for Nya to forget them _that_ easily.

"So . . ." Kai starts, slowly. "Whaddya think?"

Nya inhales softly. "About what?" she says on the exhale.

"Ya know—about the guys. About . . . just _everything_."

When Kai talks about it, his voice changes. He sounds happier than she's seen him in a while, with this eager spark in his eyes, and a smile that makes her want to match his perspective.

"I dunno." Nya swallows. "They're cool."

But Kai's not easily fooled. He sees right through her. He leans down, angling his head so she has to look at him.

"C'mon. Be honest, Nya."

She'd like to be honest. Truly, she would. But unfortunately, crushing Kai's spirits isn't something she enjoys, and—he just looks so _happy_—what kind of monster would she be if she disappointed him by disliking this "new life"?

So she puts on her most convincing smile and turns to him fully. "I'm serious. It's all really cool. I'm happy if you're happy." Which is . . . well, mostly true. Certainly not a full lie, but in this case . . .

Either way, Kai lights up at her answer and, satisfied, soon returns his gaze to the countryside. The corner of Nya's eye catches a glint of something shiny, and she glances at Kai's back. Strapped to his bright red outfit is a gleaming sword, crafted entirely from what looks like _real gold_ . . . or maybe something even more precious than that. The childlike curiosity in her wants to touch it. The logical part says not to, though.

Nya recognizes that sword. It's the _Sword of Fire_, the one Garmadon was hell-bent on retrieving, the one that has, like, magical powers or something. And speaking of which—the Fire Temple is a blur in her memory, but Nya _distinctly _recalls Kai jumping towards her in an explosive tornado of—_flaming energy_? Geez. She has a lot of questions. She'd thought Kai would be a fountain of stories and ego, gushing about how _cool _he is, but . . .

He's just sitting here, warm eyes fixed on the edge of farmland they can see from their spot on the fence. Nya risks another glance at him. Kai's smile from earlier has faded, replaced now by a pinched sort of half-frown, expression clouded with thought. Nya knows when her brother is upset about something.

"What is it?" she asks gently. Kai rolls his bottom lip between his teeth, debating.

Finally, he sighs. "I was really worried."

Nya's heart clenches at his exhausted tone. Sure, he has new responsibilities now, and new friends, and a _dragon _(which is still curled up in their yard, by the way), but this is _Kai. _Her big dumb _brother _that cares way too much to just pretend she was never in mortal peril for a second there. She'd forgotten to consider the situation from _his _point of view, which must've been all kinds of horrible.

"I thought I lost you for good," he continues, unsteadily. "Sensei wouldn't let me go after you for _weeks_, and I—I didn't know if—"

"I'm okay," Nya assures, nudging him. "It wasn't . . . it's not like it was _that _bad."

Kai raises a suspicious eyebrow.

"Okay, well, it wasn't _great_! Obviously. But I knew you were coming. I could feel it in _here_." Nya points to her heart, grinning playfully. Her humor does its job and Kai laughs.

"That much faith in me, huh?" he asks, smiling wanly.

"Yeah, _duh_. I knew you couldn't get rid of me _that _easily."

"Shut up," Kai chuckles, elbowing her. Nya laughs with him and feels that customary swell of warmth flood over her. She'd worried that Kai might not be the same after all the chaos, that maybe he'd be too _mature _for her, or something. So—it's nice to be reminded that he's the same Kai he was before. A little stronger, with a few more scrapes and bruises, but still her brother. Still a massive _dork_. And even though she's not getting the Underworld out of her dreams anytime soon, she wants to keep Kai smiling.

"So—you're a superhero now?" She changes the subject, only partially kidding. After all, this ninja business isn't something she's familiar with. Kai only shakes his head, laughing.

"Not—not _really_. I mean, sort of. Maybe. We're not exactly the Fantastic Four, but—ya know."

"Then what's this do?" Nya reaches playfully for the _Sword_, but Kai jerks away, eyes wide.

"_Whoa_, don't touch it," he warns. "I . . . don't really know what it can do. Not yet, anyways. We're still learning."

Nya just hums thoughtfully. She almost asks about their future living situation, but—it'll just spoil the mood. So she leans back a little, pretending to daydream romantically as she kicks her heels.

"_So_. What's his name? The blue one. He's cool." She grins at Kai.

It takes him a second to catch on to what she's playing at, so he says, "What, Jay? Yeah, he's cool, I guess. I mean, a little on the chatty side, and definitely too energetic, but—"

Then, evidently, Kai notices the significant look Nya's giving him. He balks. "Ohhh no. _No. _Not in a million years—"

"I think he's _adorable_—"

"—absolutely _not_—"

"But what if—"

"You're _thirteen_—"

Kai and Nya bicker back and forth, bouncing between serious threats and joking remarks—though most of the teasing is coming from Nya. The idea of her being interested in his teammate apparently doesn't sit well with Kai, but that only gives Nya more reason to annoy him with suggestive comments and dreamy-eyed looks.

She's missed this. The loose, comfortable way she feels when she's with Kai, and how the tension in her shoulders just melts away. Sure, he's currently threatening to hit Jay over the head with a shovel if he makes any moves, but Nya knows he's not _serious. _Probably. Maybe. Actually, there might be a degree of truth to Kai's words, but—whatever. That's not her problem, anyhow.

"What're you so scared of?" Nya asks, giggling.

Kai pushes her hand away as she tries to mess up his hair. "Nothing," he insists. "Remember the rule! No dating until you're sixteen—"

"That's so _stupid_—"

"_You're _stupid," Kai laughs, giving Nya's shoulder a gentle shove. She pushes back, a little harder. Kai shoves again. So does Nya. Eventually, the two siblings are involved in a faux-vicious cat fight, pushing each other and trying to stay balanced on the rickety wooden fence.

And for a few brief moments, they're the only two people in the world. It's just Kai and Nya, overlooking a countryside painted with the colors of fall. There's no Lord Garmadon. No skeleton warriors. No Underworld or uncertain futures. Life is just . . . simple. How it used to be. It's—

_"Whoa_!" Nya yelps as Kai shoves her a little _too _hard and she tips backwards off the fence. Kai's gasp of _oh shoot I'm sorry _is barely audible as Nya tumbles into the grass, one foot smacking the wood before she rolls onto her back. Before she even has a chance to decide which way is up, Kai's kneeling next to her, frantically asking if she's okay.

He looks her over with concern. "I'm _so _sorry, I didn't—it was totally an accident. I—why are you laughing?"

Sure enough, despite being sprawled out in the dirt, Nya is shaking with silent laughter, eyes squeezed shut to block out the sun's glare from this angle. Kai frowns.

"Are you—did you hit your head? Nya, stop _laughing_—"

This only succeeds in encouraging it, though, and Nya bursts into a full fit of delirious laughter, wrapping both arms around her chest as she lies there. Kai looks on with confusion until Nya's mood latches onto him and he can't help but laugh right along with her.

_We're crazy_, Nya thinks. Her life is being ground to a pulp in a blender. She barely survived a kidnapping-slash-fiery-death. Dragons are real and her brother is a _ninja _and the world as she knows it is _ending. _

And here they are, lying on the side of a dirt road, gasping for breath because somehow it's _funny. _It's _hilarious. _If it was someone else's story, Nya wouldn't believe it. But it's real and it's _crazy. _This is her life. And Kai's life, too. And Nya knows that once she gets up—

Once she remembers what lies in the not-so-distant future—

The humor will be gone. So for now, she sits back on her elbows and laughs with her brother, both of them clinging to the last normal moment they'll ever have again. The last remaining sliver of Nya's childhood.

**oOo**

"—and so Wu hid the four Weapons in different parts of Ninjago, where Lord Garmadon could never find them."

"Wow," Nya breathes, where she's curled up under a blanket next to Kai. She's been listening to him tell the story of—well, _everything. _The more he reveals, the more Nya realizes how _oblivious _they've been for years. Right now, her whole world is this couch. But beyond the closed windows, past the chipped wood of their walls . . . a whole separate reality is unfolding with every word Kai says.

"And there's this group of special people—Sensei calls them the Elemental Masters. People who have these crazy powers, like—I dunno, controlling water, or shooting ice out of their hands. And Nya—you'll never believe this."

She looks up at Kai. "What?"

Kai leans closer, as if he's about to reveal some dark, scandalous secret. Shifting to face her, he whispers, "Our dad was one of them."

Nya blinks once, letting those words register as she clutches the blanket tighter. Her dad . . . had elemental powers? Did her mom know about that? What—how did—

She rubs her temples, grimacing at the headache that's growing distinctly more prominent. Information overload is _not _something Nya usually partakes in right before bed. Kai's been filling her in for—_hours_, she realizes when she glances at the clock. And the end of his tale is nowhere in sight. Clearly he's been learning quite a bit during his time with the other ninja.

"What power did Dad have?" Nya asks. She figures it's a safe question, all things considered, but she's nowhere _near _prepared for Kai's response.

"Fire," he says, smiling. His smile grows wider when he continues, "Same as me."

At that, Nya's brain short-circuits; if she were a robot, bursts of sparks would be flying everywhere.

She'd known Kai has _some_ sort of interesting ability now, but he'd just finished telling her all about Spinjitzu and how he figured out how to do it. Nya didn't realize there's _more. _Though she guesses it makes sense—the Sword of Fire only likes to light up when Kai is holding it. So—

Her father had passed down his elemental powers through—just basic genetics. That's how it works? Elemental parents have elemental kids? Okay, fine, she'll buy it, but—

Wait just a _darn minute. _How come Kai has cool powers and _Nya doesn't_? Or—or does she? Is that possible? Can two kids have the same power as one of their parents? There are probably rules for this stuff, but gosh, Nya doesn't know any of them—

"What about _me_?" she asks, sounding offended (and _feeling _offended, too, if Nya's being honest). "What can I do?"

Kai has the decency to at least _look _sorry when he says, "Uh . . . I think—I mean, I'm pretty sure you—you're just . . . normal."

Nya's heart sinks. "What? How come?"

"It doesn't work that way."

Nya crosses her arms. "Who made _you_ the boss of elemental powers?"

"I'm _not_! Sensei said the powers get handed down to _one_ child. I guess I—well, I have Dad's powers because I was born first."

"What about Mom?" Nya's grasping for straws now and she knows it.

"Sensei didn't mention her. I think he would've, if there was something we should know."

Nya wants to ask just _how _this "sensei" character knows everything and why Kai trusts him so much, but then Kai finishes.

"Sensei was good friends with our parents before—before everything. He knows what he's talking about. I'm sorry."

_Ugh. _So her doofus of a brother gets to have fire powers, but she gets _zip. _Typical. How come _he _had to be born first, and why do elemental powers have such dumb guidelines to follow? If Wu is a descendant of the _First Spinjitzu Master_, can't he just—ya know, change the rules, or something?

"—have to keep training, so we're ready to face Lord Garmadon when he returns," Kai is saying. "Our Weapons have powers we don't even _know _about yet. It's our job to unlock them."

_It's your job to keep Dad's business going_, Nya wants to say, but she keeps it to herself. All this magical ninja stuff is way over her head, if she's being honest, and she'd like for things to go back to normal now. Sure, it was fun for a second, but now—

Now it's getting too real, too fast. If everything could just _slow down_—

"That's why we're moving into the monastery," Kai says, matter-of-factly.

And Nya's entire consciousness decides to stop functioning.

"The—the what?"

Kai launches into another long-winded speech about what the monastery is and what it's like to live there, but Nya's not really listening. She's _trying_. Really hard. But her own frantic thoughts drown out anything Kai has to say.

_It's happening. It's actually happening. We're moving. We're _leaving.

"—_so _cool, and you'll love the guys, I promise. Not Jay, though. You're not allowed to love Jay—"

"We're moving?" Nya asks. It comes out much quieter than she'd anticipated, but Kai doesn't seem to notice.

"Well _yeah_. I mean, if I'm gonna be part of the team, we can't stay here. The monastery has all the training equipment and—" Kai stops when he sees Nya's face. "What?"

Nya briefly debates telling him everything. This is _Kai_. Normally she's not afraid to talk to him, they've been joined at the hip since, like, _birth _(except for the first three months of her life, in which Kai didn't like her at _all_—but they don't talk about _that_). She shouldn't be holding back right now. He needs to know how she feels.

But—FSM, he's so _happy_ . . .

So she erases the anxiety from her expression and says, "Nothing. It's just so—so _exciting_, you know?"

"I _know_, right? It's like—this whole other _world _has been out there and—now we get to be a part of it!"

Nya smiles shakily, tucking her legs underneath her. Leaving Ignacia? Moving in with a group of strangers? Abandoning _everything _Nya's grown up with, everything she's learned to appreciate and—

"I promise you won't be bored, or anything. I mean—you can't come on missions with us, but—there's tons to do in the monastery, and you can help out with, like, cooking and stuff—"

Kai keeps going, rambling incessantly. Nya lets it go in one ear and out the other, because if she pays attention, she'll want to club Kai over the head with a throw pillow. _Can't _come on missions? _Help with cooking_?! What does she look like, a _housewife_? That sounds awful! She'd rather stay here _alone _for the rest of _ever. _She'd rather go back to her _cell _in the _Underworld_!

Alright, maybe that's a bit excessive, but Nya's made her point. After all this time running the shop together, Kai's gonna shove her aside like some little—_useless—_

"Okay," Nya grinds out. "I'm going to bed."

Kai pauses his aimless ninja-bragging to look at her. "Oh—already? I thought you—"

"I know, I just—it's been a long day. It's been a long—three _weeks_, and—it's not that I _don't _like hearing about all your ninja stuff, but—"

After that, she can't find anything else to say. So she leaves it there, swiftly hopping off the sofa and making a getaway to her bedroom. She can feel Kai's eyes on the back of her head, but Nya doesn't look back.

Sleep doesn't come easily. On top of scattered nightmares about the Underworld, Nya has _new _things to worry about. They're not supposed to _move_, they have to stay _here. _In _Ignacia_. Where life is _simple _and _predictable. _Adventure and action sound great, but not _yet_, gosh darn it. Kai is only fifteen. They're both minors, living on their own, which is already pushing it, and now—

Ninja life is _not _an experience Nya is dying to have, especially not if she can't be involved. It'll be like moving away with Kai and then handing him over for good. Not cool.

Nya sleeps on and off, waking up sporadically and usually in a cold sweat. The moon cycles through the sky, and its beams filter through the window all night, casting shadows along the floorboards. Finally, Nya wakes up at 7:35 in the morning—and she can't fall back asleep. Which is good, she remembers, because she's gotta meet up with Aiden today . . . for what might be the last time.

After the past few weeks of chaos, Nya knows Kai won't let her walk to town alone if she asks, so she goes with the other option: not asking.

Her bedroom window is conveniently _perfect _for sneaking out, so Nya throws on a jacket and climbs right through, hoping she's back before Kai wakes up. Pebbles slide under her feet as she jogs down the hill. The morning air, crisp as it is, feels great against her skin that's missed the autumn weather. The sun is sitting low, near the horizon.

Nya reaches town in what might be record speed, because the sensation of _running _is something she hadn't known she missed this much. Nevertheless, here she is, halted on the edge of the center marketplace. It looks . . . the same, mostly. There aren't any huge changes. Some vendors are setting up, ones she's never seen before, and the paint on that house looks fresher. But besides that, town is exactly as she'd left it.

No one notices Nya as she wanders through the middle. She wonders where Aiden might want to meet—neither of them had offered a location, and Nya doesn't see him yet. As her eyes roam the market, she catches sight of a conspicuous stack of crates, blocking the entrance of an alley.

_I wonder . . . _

Nya heads over and recognizes the alleyway immediately. It's where she found Aiden and the kitten, years ago. Someone has clearly tried to discourage others from entering, but Nya's not about to be hindered by some dumb boxes. Not after what she's been through.

She shoves a few crates aside and spies a hole big enough for a person to crawl through. And standing inside the alley is Aiden himself. His eyebrows shoot up when he notices her climbing in.

"Hey, you found me," he grins.

"Yep!" Nya stands, dusting herself off. "I had a hunch."

She approaches him cheerfully, but the two of them can't seem to find anymore words. Nya's the one who suggested this meet-up in the first place, so she should probably say something first. But—where to start? _Why _had she done this, exactly? Oh, no. She's too awkward for this. She's—

"You're moving?" Aiden asks suddenly.

Okay, not the way she'd like to start, but that's fine. He's straight to the point. She'll have to work with it.

"Oh. Yeah." Nya looks down. "My—uh, my brother . . . his new job—"

When she looks back up at Aiden, he's frowning. Frowning like he doesn't believe whatever excuse she's trying to force out. So Nya sighs.

"Look, I—I'm gonna be honest, okay? And—promise you won't think I'm crazy."

Though his expression is not comforting, Aiden nods once. "Okay . . ."

So Nya tells him everything. It's not _easy _by any means, and she doesn't miss how Aiden's eyes keep getting wider by the second, but—by the end of her long-winded recount, Nya feels a heck of a lot lighter. That feeling lasts a whole two seconds before the anxiety sets in, because _oh_, she just revealed everything to this _boy—_this _cute _boy, and now he probably thinks she's gone off the deep end.

There's also the slowly rising dread in her stomach, reminding Nya that this information might not have been hers to _tell. _Not that Kai ever mentioned any of it being a _secret_, but how can she know for sure? Maybe she wasn't supposed to tell anyone and maybe she's in big trouble now and—

"You're messing with me," Aiden finally says, smiling oddly.

"I'm serious," Nya replies.

"You're telling me—Ninjago is in mortal peril and your _brother _is our last hope?"

Maybe if the situation wasn't so serious, Nya would've burst out laughing. Unfortunately, she's forced to nod in solemn acceptance, watching as Aiden's face pales drastically. He looks away for a long moment, processing.

It's a while before either of them says anything else, but Nya thinks that's fine. If _she'd _just been told that the Lord of the Underworld was loose in Ninjago and the only weapons that could stop him were in the hands of teenage boys . . . she'd be concerned, too. And she _is_. Heck, this whole thing sounds like a story straight out of a storybook, she _knows _that. But usually when she doesn't like a story, she can just close the book.

Not this time.

Finally, Aiden takes a breath. "So you're a ninja now?"

Nya blinks. "What? No."

"But I thought—"

"My _brother's _the one with the fancy powers," Nya explains sullenly. "He's got the looks, the skill, and now the elemental power."

Aiden looks down. "Not _all _the looks. Or skill."

After that comment, the two of them exchange awkward glances and Nya laughs because it's the only thing that she can force out of her mouth at this point. She feels her cheeks heating up, probably turning as red as Kai's new ninja outfit. But after that, it's not as uncomfortable. She and Aiden smile hesitantly at each other.

"Tell me more," Aiden says, grinning.

For a moment, Nya's stunned. But she plenty more to tell, and talking to Aiden comes easier than anything ever has.

Eventually, Nya goes home. Aiden asks if he can accompany her on the walk, and she says yes. They talk a _little_ more about elemental powers and Lord Garmadon, but Nya doesn't mention that she'd been kidnapped and trapped in the Underworld—Aiden doesn't need _that _on his mind. He has enough to process already.

He's doing a good job of it, though. While he'd initially accepted the information with skeptical eyes, Aiden seems like he believes her now. And why wouldn't he? Nya couldn't make this stuff up if she tried.

The only thing they have yet to accept is—

"This might be goodbye," Nya says when they reach Four Weapons. It's still early. The sun is rising slowly, its rays peeking through the branches of trees, and the sounds of morning drift up from the valley. Nya thinks she can hear a woodpecker somewhere. And a frog.

Aiden looks at her. She stares back. And—there's something in the air just then, a buzzing sort of anticipation, like something is about to happen. Aiden takes a step forward. Nya stays where she is. They look at each other some more.

"Does it have to be goodbye?" Aiden asks.

Nya's heart stutters, because there'd been a notable tone in his words, but she can't place it. Apparently she can't think of anything to say, either, and for a second she panics as words crash together in her head.

"I guess not," Nya finally manages. "I—maybe we'll see each other around. Someday."

"Yeah."

More uncomfortable silence. Briefly, Nya considers hugging him, but she doesn't have practice hugging _cute boys_, she'd be sure to screw it up somehow, and they're not quite _close _enough for that. But what other options are there?

_Kiss him. _

Nya's eyes go wide when the thought pops into her head, but she quickly banishes the idea. Kiss him? _What_? They hardly know one another, she doesn't even—they don't—she can't—

"Nya?"

Heart leaping in her chest, Nya whirls around to find Kai standing in the doorway, arms crossed in a way that usually means she's in trouble. His eyes are narrowed curiously, brows pinched in the middle. Clearly he's just woken up, hair poking out scruffily and pajama pants folded oddly at the ankles.

Lightning fast, Nya recaps her situation, trying to see _just _how badly this could end.

_This is goodbye, cute boy standing here, I want to kiss him, my brother is watching. _

In other words, the most explosive recipe for disaster she has yet encountered. Her eyes flick between Kai and Aiden, who are both looking at her with equal expressions of expectation and confusion. And since her whole life is changing and everything is being flipped like a pancake, Nya decides she's got nothing to lose.

She gets so close to Aiden that she can see every individual freckle on his face. He blinks at her owlishly.

"Not goodbye," she says. Then Nya rises quickly on her tiptoes and plants the barest of kisses on Aiden's cheek. Immediately, he goes red, but she doesn't wait around to see much of it. The last of her resolve had gone into that kiss (which was less of a kiss and more of a peck), she has zero courage left. So Nya heads inside, brushing past a very scandalized Kai.

"Who was that?" he asks later, after Aiden has gone.

"Doesn't matter." Nya picks at the crust on her toast. "He's here. I won't be. End of story."

It's obvious that Kai's not quite satisfied with that answer, and Nya fully expects him to pry further. To her surprise, though, Kai has the decency to leave it alone. A first, she thinks. Whatever. Nya can't complain.

Kai breezes around the house all day, gathering up what few personal belongings they have and shoving them into boxes or bags. Nya lets him do it on his own. Her theory is, if she can't see things changing, then things _aren't changing. _Seems to be working so far.

Yet, Nya spends no time idly. Her day is booked with putting in more work on her mech, which is coming along nicely, by the way. Metal scraps and tools lie scattered over the whole floor—wicked hazards when she's walking around—and half-built robot appendages lean against the wall. She keeps her door shut and locked, not that Kai comes knocking anyway.

That night, after reading another chapter of _Mechanics, Motors and Mobility_, Nya curls up in bed and rolls over to look at the wall. She raps her knuckles against it three times.

"Good night," she says loudly.

Kai's muffled voice replies, "Night," from his own room.

Nya smiles at that. Yeah, stuff is pretty messed up and there's gonna be a new lifestyle to get used to. But Kai's here. She's here.

Nice to know that some things never change.


End file.
